Alternate Avengers
by Le Marquis
Summary: What if Black Knight had Sersi's powers? Chapter 28! Dr. Doom vs. The Avengers vs. Mephisto!
1. Default Chapter

**Issue #1**

_The Black Knight, Crystal, Hercules,_

_Pulsar, Thunderstrike, Vision, Wasp_

Dane Whitman, a.k.a. the Black Knight, looked out over the city-state of New Amsterdam. Standing on this observation deck of Avengers Tower, he could not only see the city but he could feel the city. Opening his mind he became part of the city; his blood rushing with the traffic. He could hear the thoughts of millions and the city was alive within him. Letting his mind go even more he joined the urban fauna into his thoughts, from the pigeons in the skyscrapers to the rats in the sewers, he felt them all.

"Dane?"

He could hear her thoughts approaching long before he could hear her voice, smell her fragrance…

"Crystal…" he said, his voice betraying his joy.

"Did you want to be alone?"

"No, come, join me. I was just watching the city in the sunset. It's moments like this that I fight for. This makes it all worthwhile."

"It's never like this on the moon," she said. "There it's always so calm and serene." Crystal's home was Attilan, the city of Inhumans on the moon.

"You don't feel it the way I do. If had more control over my telepathy I'd bring you in and share the sensation with you."

"It hasn't really been that long has it? It seems like forever…"

"Crystal… do you regret… everything you've done since… since Sersi's death"

"It wasn't easy leaving Peitro but things hadn't been going well before that… Sometimes we just never know when we've made a wrong decision."

Dane took her in his arms and held her as they watched the sun set over the city.

Behind them, in the wall of the tower, a red face peeked through the stone. And one of the few men Dane's telepathy couldn't detect tightened his lips into a grimace.

Dane and Crystal ran into the monitoring room with Hercules right behind them. The Wasp, having been on monitor duty, was already present, as well as Pulsar and Vision who didn't need luxuries like doors and stairways.

"What's the situation?" Dane asked.

"Down by the docks we've already got Thunderstrike on the scene in a major battle with this Bloodaxe villain he's told us about." Wasp replied.

"Pulsar, get there quickly and lend him a hand; Vision prepare a skycar for the rest of us. Let's move people."

"Black Knight," Hercules interjected. "If 'tis truly Thunderstrike and Bloodaxe then 'tis a duel of honor and interference would not become us."

"This is our city they're fighting in, Herc, and we can't just let them destroy it."

"Thunderstrike doth take such measures into consideration. Let protection of innocents be our duty and judgment not be passed 'til we hath seen the battle firsthand."

Dane paused for a moment. "Pulsar, get over there and do as Herc says. We'll be there momentarily."

Monica Rambeau, a.k.a. Pulsar, raced across town as a beam of light and arrived on the scene in time to see Thunderstrike deliver a crushing blow to Bloodaxe from his enchanted mace that gave him his godly powers lifting him into the air and driving him back about 20 yards, demolishing a brick wall. Bloodaxe collapsed on the ground defeated.

"Looks like you didn't need our help after all, big guy."

"Huh? Oh, Pulsar, and I assume the rest of the Avengers are on the way? No, I guess I didn't need any help with Bloodaxe but there's more to it than just that."

"Yeah, they're right behind me. You can tell us all about it when they get here. So who's this Bloodaxe character anyway?"

"I dunno. That's a question that's plagued me for months now, almost since I first took over for Thor." Thunderstrike bent down and removed the red faceplate from the unconscious figure.

"Bloodaxe is a woman?" Pulsar said, taken by surprise.

"Jackie…" he said with a start.

"You know her?"

"Her name's Jackie, Jackie Luckus… and she was someone very special to me."

"I'm sorry, 'Strike. What could have made her do this?"

"I can't imagine why she would do such a thing, unless it was this axe. I've had it affect me in weird ways before," he said still distraught at this revelation.

"Maybe you should just leave the axe for Dane to examine, 'Strike."

A small explosion knocked Pulsar off her feet as Thunderstrike picked up the axe. She looked up to see a different Thunderstrike standing before her. His hair no longer was tied back in a ponytail; the blue color of his costume had changed to red. Amongst other changes the most important one Pulsar noted was the mad look in his eyes.

"'Strike? You okay in there?" she asked hopefully.

In a blur of motion, the axe chopped down upon her. She let out a scream as she switched to her holographic form and still felt intense pain due to the magical nature of the weapon.

"Monica!" shouted the Wasp as she flew in firing her stingers at Thunderstrike.

Dane, landing the skycar, started issuing orders. "Viz, Crys, try to subdue him and keep him from harming people. Herc, get Bloodaxe to safety."

"Jan, get out of there so I can isolate him in a wind vortex. You're just making him madder," Crystal yelled, whipping up the wind with her elemental powers.

Dane knelt at the side of Pulsar as the other Avengers tried to deal with their berserk teammate.

"How is she, Dane?" asked the Wasp as she flew in from the battle.

"I'm not certain. She's still unconscious, but in her holographic form, so I can't check any vital signs. A light telepathic scan seems to indicate she just passed out from shock but I don't want to chance a deeper scan. You stay with her while I check on 'Strike."

Within a maelstrom Thunderstrike was screaming as the Vision partially rematerialized his hand within Thunderstrike's brain.

"He's too strong to take out that way, Viz. And the pain you're causing him just makes it harder for him to resist the axe. Herc, get in there and help restrain him," the Black Knight called out as he analyzed the battle scene.

Hercules waded into the fray, having already removed Jackie Lucas from the scene. He grabbed Thunderstrike's axe arm as the Vision, increasing his density to maximize his strength, got a hold of the other arm.

"He hath been restrained, Dane. What wouldst thou like us to do next?" Hercules called, joyful at any chance to fight.

Thunderstrike, belying Hercules' words howled in rage as he brought Hercules and Vision crashing into each other. With a bolt of force from his mace, he struck at Crystal, flattening her on her back. Striking backwards with both weapons, he knocked the Vision for a loop with the mace, while the axe caught Hercules across his chest.

"Crystal!"

Seeing this turn of events, including the woman he loved being struck down, the Black Knight hardened his resolve. Flying up to Thunderstrike he grabbed his head and forced a telepathic link between the two of them.

Intense waves of rage washed over him threatening to drown him. Nevertheless, he was expecting it and was able to clamp down on it.

"Thunderstrike… no, Eric Masterson is your name," Dane said, reading Eric's mind. "Listen to me, Eric. You've got to calm yourself. Calm down…"

The Vision arose to see the Black Knight trying to sooth Thunderstrike, both awash in a glow of energy.

"Black Knight, do you have the situation under control?"

"I think this will do the trick, Viz. I need you to give Herc first aid. I think he took a nasty blow. And have Wasp check on Crystal to see if she's all right.

"We're feeling calm now, Eric. I want you to let go of the axe. Do you hear me, Eric? Just drop the axe."

"No, NO! It's mine! Do you hear me? Mine, MINE!" Dane felt the rage wash over Eric all over again. He clutched the axe to his chest and with the other hand, mace hanging by its strap from his wrist, he lifted Dane by the throat.

Unable to speak and quickly changing tactics Dane sent his thoughts directly into Eric's mind. "_Easy, Eric. We're your friends. Keep the axe. Calm down, my friend._"

After calming Thunderstrike down all over again Dane opened his eyes to see himself still held by the throat, the Vision trying to make Thunderstrike let go.

"Easy Viz. He's not going to hurt me, are you Eric?"

Thunderstrike slowly shook his head and lowered Dane to the ground. Despite the calm exterior, a raging beast could still be seen in his eyes.

"What's the damage report?" Dane asked keeping a watchful eye on Thunderstrike.

"Hercules has a large wound across his chest. Despite the seriousness of it, he shows no concern. Given his Olympian physique, he may be justified in his view."

"He'll still need a doctor's okay before I let him on active duty again. How's Crystal?"

"Crystal's a little shaken but she'll be fine." A touch of concern showed in his synthezoid voice. "Pulsar, however, remains unconscious in her holographic form."

Crystal and Wasp knelt over the fallen form of Pulsar as Dane approached.

"Can you help her, Dane?" Wasp asked, her concern for her friend showing.

"Even though it worked with Thunderstrike, I'm still reluctant to try it. I can tell that she's alive. Is she showing any signs of life?"

"She seems to be breathing. What that means in her holographic form is anyone's guess though."

"I'm going to try just a slight telepathic touch to wake her so we can get her medical attention."

Dane stretched out a finger towards the hologram, loath to touch her lest the telepathic touch be too strong and he do more harm than good. Holding his breath he tried a telepathic link, breaking it off the moment he felt contact. Pulsar started, fluttered her eyelids, and woke up.

"Monica?" Jan questioned. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," she answered. "How's Thunderstrike?"

"He'll be-" Dane stopped, startled to find Thunderstrike had followed him. "He'll be fine for the moment. He's still under the influence of the axe but he's no longer running wild. We'll get all four of you back to the Tower and see what the doctors have to say."

"Dane, before he picked up the axe he said there was something more than just Bloodaxe to deal with."

"Yes, I got that from my link with him. That's one reason I need everyone on their feet. It seems Seth is here and needs to be stopped, quickly."

"Seth?" Hercules asked. "'Tis a most deadly foe. He doth be the Egyptian Serpent God of Death."

"Yes, I know. I was there with Thor at his last defeat in Asgard. It took every Asgardian and Osirian we had to stop him. In the end I was the weapon that killed him and if necessary, I'll do it again."

Next Issue: The search for allies in the fight against Seth! 

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Dane's brainwaves started to match Sersi's but he broke the connection and she survived. This happened in Avengers vol. 1 #372.

Thunderstrike fought Bloodaxe and died in the resulting conflict in Thunderstrike #24.

The Avengers Tower used in this story bears no relationship to the tower the Avengers are currently using in their own series. It's based off a scene in Avengers #374.


	2. Mission to the Gods

**Issue #2**

_The Black Knight, Crystal, Hercules, _

_Pulsar, Thunderstrike, Vision,_

_The Wasp, Deathcry, Quasar._

Dane Whitman, a.k.a. the Black Knight, looked around the meeting table at the Avengers he had available to him, assembled like Knights of the Round Table. At his right hand sat Crystal, the mistress of elements and the love of his life. Next to her sat the rapidly healing but still injured Hercules, Greek god of strength. Continuing around the table was the Vision, a synthetic man who could control his density. Next was Monica Rambeau, a.k.a. Pulsar, the mistress of energy. Then sat Janet Van Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp, able to shrink to a winged wasp-sized heroine complete with "stings." At Dane's left sat Eric Masterson, a.k.a. Thunderstrike, wielder of the magical mace also called Thunderstrike, which turns him into a powerful warrior.

Thunderstrike was not himself lately, being under the influence of the Bloodaxe. Dane had rescued him from the possession of the axe but was unable to completely undo the effects. To make matters worse, since Dane rescued him telepathically, Thunderstrike had been following him. He was able to get some privacy in his own quarters after a stern word to 'Strike, but he would just sit at the door waiting for Dane to come back out.

Standing around the room were the two standard reservists for the team. Normally any inactive member was a reservist but these two kept themselves available to serve if needed. Dane conceded that every possible member was needed.

Deathcry was an alien, sent to serve with the team by Lilandra, Empress of the star-spanning Shi'ar Empire. She was both a hostage, insuring the Empires good will to Earth, and a watchdog, insuring the Empress that the Avengers harbored no ill intentions towards her Empire.

Wendell Vaughn, a.k.a. Quasar, was the Protector of the Universe, bearing the Quantum Bands, which enabled him to control any type of energy.

"The purpose of this meeting is to plan our attack on Seth, the Serpent God of Death." Dane started the meeting after rapping his gavel on the table.

"Impressive titles aside, who is this guy?" asked Deathcry. "And why are we attacking him? This doesn't sound like the type of thing you'd normally do."

"Seth is the implacable enemy of all life and 'tis the duty of everyone alive to oppose him," Hercules volunteered his opinion.

"He is of the race of Osirians, once worshipped in ancient Egypt," Dane filled in. "And has explicitly stated his desire to kill everyone alive and is almost powerful enough to do it."

"We've fought gods before and did fairly well. What's the trouble here?" Pulsar asked.

"Do you remember when you and I and Thor and Herc fought Zeus without a real victory? I fought Seth in Asgard with Thor and Odin and we still needed the help of about twenty other gods to kill him."

"You killed him? Then how can he be here now?" asked Quasar.

"Death is his ally," Hercules answered. "It only slows him down. Eventually he will return. Every time."

"As for the why, Thunderstrike-"

"Bloodstrike"

There was an almost audible silence in the room. "What was that, Eric?"

"Not Thunderstrike, Bloodstrike."

Setting aside his concern for his teammate for the moment Dane continued. "All right, Bloodstrike uncovered a plot by Seth to release poisonous gas into the city. He got into the fight with Bloodaxe before he could address this so that's our first order of business. The problem is we can't take him down in a face-to-face fight. So, the floor is open to strategies. Anybody has any sort of idea; I want to hear it, no matter how off the wall it is."

"Can we contact these Osirians?" Wasp asked.

"Herc?"

"I cannot, and I know of no passage to their realm. My father could do it but I am already on Earth against his wishes. 'Tis a trespass he would overlook but not if I went to him and flaunted it in his face."

"Actually, Dane, I may be able to make contact for you." Surprised, everyone turned to look at Quasar. "What? Being Protector of the Universe means having some connections," he shrugged. "I'll let you know what I come up with."

"Great. Now, I want us to think of this in terms of a military campaign," Dane continued. "We have an enemy we can't take on directly, so what fronts can we attack on? And our first order of business needs to be this poisonous gas he's got…"

"Black Knight, I am concerned about Bloodstrike," the Vision spoke to Dane as the other Avengers cleared out of the meeting room. "He is definitely not himself."

"Near as I can tell, there seems to be a new personality forming. It's altogether different from the original one, which is still buried in there, but I don't know if it'll eventually be assimilated or just wiped completely. Unfortunately I don't have the time or the expertise to go in and set things right. Considering the fight we had earlier we're going to have to look at this as the lesser of two evils."

Waiting for Dane to leave, Bloodstrike stood behind him not even acknowledging the discussion about him.

As a beam of light, Pulsar raced throughout the city. Changing wavelengths, she flew through walls as if they didn't exist. In a search pattern calculated by the Vision she examined every building, every warehouse, every nook and cranny. Often diving underground, she searched subway tunnels, sewer lines, utility access corridors and miles and miles of bedrock, looking high and low for bases used by the Soldiers of the Serpent, Seth's human army.

On many occasions, she found what she was looking for. Changing directly into heat, she then burned any poisonous gas she found. Next computer files were erased by waves of magnetism. Then weapons were slagged. Gas tanks and ammunition exploded without warning. Electronic equipment was fried and machinery ground to a halt. Then she was off again, after a brief detour to report her findings; she continued her search pattern.

The sun shown bright and hot in the other-dimensional city of Heliopolis as a sphere of energy materialized. Inside three figures stepped through a dimensional portal. With the need to protect the surrounding environs from the portal gone, the sphere itself vanished also. Unusual occurrences being the norm here, they attracted minimal attention. One resident, however, hurried to the scene to question the new arrivals.

"Greetings, strangers. I am Horus, the Avenger, son of Osiris and Isis. Who are you and why do visit our fair city?"

One of the larger visitors stepped forward. "The Avenger? We do be fellow comrades, for I am Hercules, the lion of Olympus and son of Zeus, and we do come here as representatives of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers. We do seek an audience with Osiris on matters most urgent."

"Olympians have always been welcome here. Introduce your companions so that I may present them properly."

Horus led the three Avengers before twin thrones in a cavernous throne room. On the thrones sat Osiris and Isis, the husband and wife rulers of Heliopolis.

"My parents," he called. "I bring you three of the Avengers of Earth on an errand most dire. This is Hercules, son of Zeus; Quasar, the Protector of the Universe and the Black Knight, leader of the Avengers."

Isis scowled at this last introduction.

"Greetings, Avengers. You are welcome," Osiris proclaimed. "What is this matter of urgency which brings you before us?"

"We stand before thee asking for help, my lord," replied Hercules, showing more diplomacy than Dane had ever expected from him. "Seth, the Serpent God of Death, has come to Earth, intending to slay all the inhabitants thereof."

"Seth returns again! We are still repairing the city from his last appearance."

"We know we cannot handle him, ourselves." The Black Knight interjected.

"Silence!" shouted Isis, suddenly. "You dare come before us feigning friendship while trying to coerce us?"

"We meant no harm-" Dane stammered.

"Stop!" she shouted again, firing a bolt of pure force from her fingertips at Dane. "Osirians are not so easily influenced!"

Blindsided by the blast, the Black Knight was taken by surprise and thrown on his back.

"Thou darest to attack us? Dost thou call this Osiran hospitality?" Hercules roared as he rushed the throne to defend his fellow Avenger.

Horus tackled him as he neared. "And thou mayest not touch my mother!" Hercules and Horus tumbled to the side as they grappled and wrestled.

"This brawling in the throne room is beneath us. Let it end!" Osiris stood and fired his own bolt of energy at the combatants. It was blocked by a shield formed by Quasar's quantum bands.

"Thou dost dare to oppose the will of Osiris in his own throne room?" He fired a continuous stream of energy at Quasar. He initially blocked it but then funneled it to redirect it at Isis who was about to attack Dane again.

Enraged at this, Osiris began a more controlled and directed assault against Quasar, whose shields began to buckle under the strain. Hercules and Horus continued to toss each other around the room.

Dane crawled to his feet and assessed the situation. Hercules appeared to be holding his own, although there was no clear winner in sight. Isis appeared to be down for a while and was no immediate threat. Osiris, however, seemed to be breaking down Quasar's defenses and Quasar seemed unable to get any attacks in.

Dane activated his Pulsaric sword and launched himself at Osiris. Osiris was concentrating on Quasar and was completely taken by surprise. The energy of the sword shorted out his nervous system and he collapsed to the ground. Quasar, who had been hovering in the air, floated down beside the Black Knight.

"Separate those two," Dane ordered, pointing to Hercules and Horus. At Quasar's command an energy shield appeared between them, getting larger and larger till it separated them.

Quasar and the Black Knight joined Hercules and Quasar sealed them off from the rest of the room in an energy sphere.

"Quasar!" roared Hercules. "I was in the midst of combat. Why didst thou come between me and my foe?"

"Easy, Herc. I gave him the order," Dane interjected. "We're getting out of here, now. I don't know why they attacked but I doubt they'll follow us to Earth."

Quasar opened up a portal to Earth and they stepped through. As it closed the energy bubble left behind dissipated into nothingness.

Next Issue: Without allies, the Avengers fight Seth, alone! 

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

The Black Knight, Pulsar, Thor, and Hercules fought Zeus in Avengers vol. 1 # 284-285.

Thor and the Black Knight fought Seth in Asgard in Thor #400.


	3. Driving Out Serpents

**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #3**

_The Black Knight, Crystal, Hercules, _

_Pulsar, Bloodstrike, Vision,_

_The Wasp, Quasar, Deathcry_

"You guys get anything yet?" Crystal asked as she entered the computer room.

"Nothing from any of these," Dane answered. "When Pulsar destroyed every one of Seth's lairs she could find, she did an excellent job. We haven't been able to get a shred of information off of any of the computer records from those bases."

"Might I remind you," Vision interjected, "that the situation was immediate. Seth would have poisoned the entire city."

"I know. She was doing exactly what I told her to do. It doesn't make it any less frustrating though." Dane and Vision had been working on the records for hours now and the strain was beginning to show.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Crystal asked.

"I'm hoping to find his home base so we can attack him head on before he hatches any more schemes."

"Aren't we going to search for more allies first?"

"Not until we know what happened last time. I still don't understand why they attacked us."

"I was lead to understand from your report that they acted as if you attacked them."

"And that makes it all the more puzzling to me."

"Is there any other way to find him?"

"Pulsar is out searching right now but the odds of a random search working are slim. I could try a telepathic scan but it would have to be on a worldwide scale and I really don't want to try that. Vision is working on the last record right now. If it doesn't fall apart on us it might give us some answers."

"Why don't' you go rest for a while in case you have to do that. I can handle the rest of this work on my own." Vision offered.

"Yes, Dane, you've been working hard lately, come rest a bit."

"Okay, let me know the minute you find anything."

"Yes, of course."

Crystal and the Black Knight exited leaving the Vision to finish his work. Bloodstrike, who had been standing in the shadows silently, followed them.

Alone now, the Vision pushed a button and a computer disk popped out of the computer. He took it in his hand and crushed it.

"Sorry, Dane. I couldn't find anything on this disk either." He murmured softly.

Dane Whitman stood on the observation deck of Avengers tower, all the other Avengers gathered round him.

"I beg of thee to reconsider this friend Dane," Hercules advised. "Seth doth be a most powerful god and thy mental abilities, while prodigious, do be as yet untested."

"Thanks Herc, but as you and I both know Seth must be stopped." Dane turned and kissed Crystal.

He turned and faced the city and slowly floated off the ground. Reaching out with his mind, he felt the minds of the people of the city. He felt a shock when it happened but had grown used to that. He let his consciousness expand even farther and touched the minds of more and more people, as he did so the pain grew more and more intense.

The gathered Avengers could see and feel the wild energies play around him as his mind became harder for him to control.

His reach expanded outward to cover about a quarter of the planet, most of the continent and the ocean. As he touched all these minds he searched for a particular mind or a particular pattern. Then he felt it and recoiled. He felt the blow physically and severed the connection as quickly as he could.

Looking up he saw that he had flown back and slammed into the masonry of the tower. A shield created from Quasar's Quantum bands was still covering the Avengers. The tower above the observation deck was scorched from the release of energy when he had lost control.

The Quantum shield faded and he addressed the group, "I've found him. Prepare an underwater Quinjet. We're going after him, all of us, actives and reservists."

The Quinjet sped through the water, Pulsar's light form speeding along beside it. Inside the Black Knight piloted the craft directly to his goal, guided by the information he had gathered during his probe. The rest of the team was gathered behind him. Suddenly a huge submarine came into view.

The Avengers entered a Quantum bubble and floated over to the underside of the submarine, somewhere near the front. It attached itself and became more of a dimple on the hull. Hercules, the prince of power, ripped a hole in the bottom of the sub where air wouldn't escape. Through the hole nine Avengers flew, leapt, floated, or, in a few cases, crawled into the underwater craft.

"Avengers Assemble!" yelled the Black Knight, fully expecting to be attacked immediately.

Obligingly, a squad of Soldiers of the Serpent entered the room from one end and started firing their weapons. Quasar threw up a shield and Pulsar, in the form of an energy blast, zipped through the squad, scattering them left and right.

The rest of the Avengers were about to enter the fray when they heard an attack coming from behind. Ten twelve-foot tall giants were lumbering their way.

"The soldiers were just a diversion," Dane called out as he activated his Pulsaric sword. "Quasar, hold them off. Everyone else face the rear, that's where the fight is! They've got us outnumbered so hit them hard."

Hercules and Bloodstrike each attacked a giant. Crystal and Wasp double teamed one managing to hold it off with their blasts. Deathcry launched herself at another, avoiding its grasp and getting in several good scratches. Vision had partially materialized inside one, which was now struggling with the pain. Pulsar was holding off another with her blasts.

Dane fended one off with his sword but couldn't get close enough to attack it. "This isn't good enough, people!" he yelled. "We're leaving some of them free! Use their numbers against them."

One of the unoccupied giants reached Bloodstrike and swatted him aside. Hercules managed to get control of his foe and, following Dane's orders, throw him at another giant but both of them were already getting back up.

Pulsar fired an extra blast at the giant that Vision was attacking and dropped him. Wasp shrunk down and flew into the ear of the one she was attacking but it didn't drop him and Crystal kept blasting away at him. Deathcry left her foe and retrieved a dropped rifle from a serpent soldier but it had little effect on the giants.

Seeing the situation change little Dane charged in under his opponent's arm and stabbed him with the sword. The giant dropped but fell on top of the Black Knight, pinning him to the ground. This infuriated Bloodstrike who attacked the nearest giant with unmatched fury. Under the Bloodaxe the giant was promptly taken out of the fight.

Stunned by Bloodstrike's sudden blood thirst Hercules was grabbed by a giant and thrown against a wall. Vision was stunned also but being insubstantial made him immune to any attacks.

Exasperated, Pulsar released her full force in a blast that dropped a giant, leaving herself exhausted. Wasp turned her attacks towards another giant who collided with the one Wasp and Crystal had been attacking.

Deathcry began to direct her shots to herd her giant towards the hole in floor that the Avengers had entered through.

Bloodstrike began to viciously assault another giant. Hercules grabbed another one and threw him in front of Bloodstrike so that a second giant was axed. Vision tried his heat beams on the next one but it only slowed him.

Pulsar and Black Knight were out of the fight and Wasp and Crystal were each keeping a giant occupied. Deathcry finally got her opponent steered through the hole. Bloodstrike was still attacking the two giants in front of him.

There were only three left and all of them were occupied. Hercules walked up to the pair facing Wasp and Crystal and slammed their heads together. The remaining Avengers were then quickly able to help Vision dispatch the final giant.

In the meantime, Quasar had forced all the Soldiers of the Serpent out of the room. Hercules picked up the giant lying on top of Dane who slowing rose to his feet.

"We need to take this fight straight to Seth and avoid as many of these monsters of his as we can. Someone punch a hole in the ceiling, I sense him on the next level up."

Quasar cut a hole and lifted up anyone who couldn't fly or was too tired to do so.

They found themselves in another one of Seth's laboratories. There were three tubes there, each containing a humanoid figure.

"This must be where Seth conducts his genetic experiments that result in monsters like those giants," Wasp observed. "Does anyone know who or what these three are?"

"I've seen them before," Dane said. "They're the Plodex offspring of Namor and Marrina. Seth must have been studying them. Bloodstrike, free them."

With three forceful jabs of his mace, Bloodaxe shattered the containment tubes and the Plodex fell to the ground. They looked around for a moment, getting their bearings, and then they rushed to the hole in the floor where the Avengers had entered. Hercules moved to intercept them but Dane stopped him.

"Let them go Herc," he advised. "We've got bigger problems to handle."

The Plodex disappeared through the aperture and the Avengers watched them go.

"Assemble Avengers," Dane called out. "I'm sensing Seth approaching."

Everyone prepared themselves, when suddenly one wall of the room exploded outwards revealing Seth standing behind it.

"Very well, Avengers, you have made a nuisance of yourselves and sought me out. You have searched for death and now you have found it. You now face Seth, the serpent god of death, and now you will die!"

Next Issue: The fight against Seth concludes, with devastating results!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Seth's submarine headquarters was seen in Thunderstrike #19. His genetic experiments were hinted at then, too.

The offspring of Namor and Marrina were introduced in Avenger #392-393.


	4. Whom the Gods Would Destroy

  
**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #4**

_The Black Knight, Crystal, Hercules, _

_Pulsar, Bloodstrike, Vision,_

_The Wasp, Quasar, Deathcry_

Bloodwraith faced the sorceress in her own castle. She had drawn herself up and had spells ready to battle with. With the Ebony Blade he felt fully confident to fend off spells and fight Morgan Le Fay.

"Ye used me Morgan, what with your mind control and all. Now, be prepared to pay the price."

Ever since Sean Dolan fell under the curse of the Ebony Blade, the enchanted sword made by Merlin that was once used by the Black Knight, and became the ruthless vigilante, Bloodwraith, he had been fighting criminals but he had never faced anyone with the might of Morgan Le Fay.

She cast a spell and he instinctively swung the sword, cutting through the spell, dissipating it into nothingness.

"Ye magics canna reach me, witch!"

"My magics do not need to reach you fool!" She waved her hands and a section of the stonewall came to life, forming arms and legs and charging Bloodwraith.

He lifted his sword, preparing to fight it.

In a submarine deep in the Atlantic, nine Avengers had come to defeat Seth, the Egyptian Serpent God of Death. Exhausted from the battles involved in reaching him they stood before him and he promised their deaths.

"Avengers attack!" Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, called out. "Hit him hard and don't give him a chance." As chair of the Avengers he led them in battle.

Pulsar, the fastest Avenger, changed into a beam of energy and sped towards Seth. He lifted his hand and she was deflected to the side, disappearing through a bulkhead.

Quasar, harnessing the power of the Quantum bands he wore on his wrists, fired his own energy blasts at Seth but with no apparent effects.

The Black Knight, Hercules, and Bloodstrike charged forward but Seth merely waved his hand and a wave of energy knocked all three of them against the far wall. Wasp was caught in the backlash but Crystal summoned up a whirlwind around Seth. The wind didn't affect him and none of the flying debris seemed to touch him.

Vision and Deathcry both fired at him, Vision through his forehead jewel and Deathcry via her stolen rifle. Seth laughed them off.

Vision increased his density until his weight was able to anchor him to the floor. He then proceeded to walk towards Seth.

"Ah," Seth said, "I see you're not really alive. Granting you the gift of death won't really be the same, but I can still do it."

He extended his fist and another blast of energy blew the Vision back to where the others had landed.

"Bloodstrike, use the axe, it'll cut through his defenses." Dane ordered. "Hercules, back him up."

Bloodstrike held up his axe, edging forward, cutting through the maelstrom that was now radiating from Seth. Hercules was behind him with hands on his back pushing with all his strength.

"You, Eric Masterson, have already been marked for death. Do not think that I will spare you, or that your magic weapons will offer you any protection. Hercules, just because you were once a god you think that gives you an edge over these other Avengers. Do you know how many gods it took to defeat me last time?"

With another wave of his hand a wall of force hit them from the side where the axe wouldn't meet it.

Bloodwraith swung his sword back and forth, chopping his way through the swarm of monsters Morgan Le Fay had summoned to fight him. The sword prevented him from feeling the exhaustion he should have felt. Occasionally she would throw a spell directly at him but they were always deflected by the Ebony Blade.

Pulsar flew back through the wall and up behind Seth. Due to all the surrounding metal of the submarine and the thousands of gallons of surrounding water in the ocean, she was limited in the amount of energy she could tap but she hit Seth from behind at point blank range with as much power as she felt she was able to handle.

Seth fell to his knees and roared in pain. He turned from the rest of the Avengers and blasted at her but it passed harmlessly through her holographic form. Seeing this he focused his concentration and she turned solid again. He began to pick her up but was hit from behind by the Thunderstrike mace.

"Leave her and face me, give me the death you keep promising, yet fail to deliver." Bloodstrike threatened him.

Enraged, Seth threw another wave of force that knocked out Bloodstrike. Hercules and the Vision crawled to their feet but the rest of the Avengers were down.

Slowly they tried to walk towards Seth but the energy was radiating from him in waves.

Dane Whitman raised his head and surveyed the scene.

With a cry of triumph Seth blasted both Hercules and Vision to the ground.

Dane forced himself to his feet.

"Your entire team is down and you think you can stand against me?"

Dane ignored him and staggered forward, drawing on his Eternal powers. Seth managed to increase his output but Dane staggered on. Eventually he reached Seth and slashed with his Pulsaric sword. Again Seth laughed and with a slap knocked the sword from his hand. Another slap ripped the helmet from his head.

Seth grabbed the Black Knight by the head, his thumb wrapping around the jaw, and lifted him off the ground, his feet dangling.

"What have we here? A lowly human yet I sense… your mind has been altered to resemble an Eternals. That's how you were able to approach where the rest of your friends failed. I shall have to have my scientists study your corpse."

Seth tightened his grip and Dane felt the pain, struggling with his mind to telekinetically pull apart Seth's fingers. He could feel his efforts failing.

Bloodwraith advanced upon Morgan Le Fay, who cowered before him. She had plenty of time and energy to cast more spells but she knew it would be hopeless. The Ebony Blade would deflect any spell she cast. If only she could somehow get that magical weapon away from him, she could easily defeat him.

Bloodwraith lifted the blade that had guaranteed him success in this battle, ready for the killing blow.

Blood oozed out of Dane's ears as Seth slowly crushed his skull. Suddenly, out of desperation, Dane clasped his hands together and performed the only magic spell he knew. The Ebony Blade appeared in his hands and he drove it up into Seth's stomach, the tip protruding out of his neck.

Twice before in his life had Dane fallen under the curse of the Ebony Blade, the curse that was triggered whenever the Blade drew blood. The first time he had spent five years in a bloodthirsty trance, trapped in the past, fighting the crusades. Another time he had been turned into an extension of the sword, stiff, motionless, and slicing open anything that touched him. It was in this state that he had been used against Seth once before and that's what gave him this idea. The only reason he would call the curse down upon himself again.

Surprise and pain shown on Seth's face and he shook the Black Knight like a dog. His skull being crushed and his neck now almost broken, Dane felt the pain from the curse clamp down on him. But he was beyond pain now and the curse merely gave him strength. He jerked hard on his sword and it sliced its way out of Seth's chest cutting through bone and muscle.

Seth dropped him and staggered back. Rage was in his eyes and he stretched out his hand to call forth a wave of incredible power. Dane ignored the blood of a god burning into his flesh. He dropped to the ground and spun around reaching out with his sword. Seth's hand dropped to the floor before doing any more harm. Dane spun his sword around again and Seth's head rolled off his shoulders.

As the head rolled to the floor, Seth's body began to crumble, the will that held it together no longer present. It crumbled into smaller and smaller pieces till it dissipated into nothing but dust and smoke.

The flesh on the head melted away also leaving behind a gruesome skull. The severed hand, already withered to a corpse-like husk, remained.

The Avengers slowly came to and saw Dane kneeling on the floor.

"Dane, are you all right?" Crystal asked, concern showing in her voice. Several other Avengers gathered around, worried about their leader. None of them had seen him under the effects of the curse before but all had heard horrible stories about it.

Dane took a deep breath and held hid eyes closed. "I-it's okay…" he stammered. "I… th-think I've got it… got it under control. I can feel the curse… but I can control it. It's… it's Sersi's powers… it's allowing me to control the curse."

Suddenly the submarine lurched to one side, knocking a few Avengers off their feet.

"This craft," Hercules warned. "Seth hath linked it to his own essence. With his death it shall die too."

"Let's go guys," Dane took charge again. "We're gonna have to evacuate this sub."

"I think that will be unnecessary." Vision announced, studying a communications panel. "It seems the Soldiers of the Serpent are evacuating on their own."

"Great, one less headache for us. Everyone gather around Quasar. Quase, whip up a Quantum bubble and get us out of here."

"One moment, Dane." Hercules interjected. "We should not leave these. They could become artifacts of great evil." He picked up the skull and withered hand of Seth.

Joining the rest of the Avengers in their bubble, they floated down through the holes in the floors and out into the ocean.

Somewhere, Morgan Le Fay laughed in triumph.

Next Issue: In the aftermath of battle, Avengers come and Avengers go!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Sean Dolan became Bloodwraith in Avengers Annual #19. He was an ally of Morgan Le Fay in Atlantis Rising.


	5. Last Rights

  
**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #5**

_The Black Knight, Crystal, Hercules, _

_Pulsar, Bloodstrike, Vision, The Wasp, _

_Quasar, Deathcry, Giant-Man_

Holding the Ebony Blade, Dane Whitman again stood out on his balcony, overlooking the city of New Amsterdam. Reaching out with his mind he could feel everyone in the city and now it came more easily, the thoughts flowing straight into his head. He felt Quasar walking up behind him.

"Hello Quasar," he said, without even turning around. "What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking that with all this business with Seth wrapped up, I'd be returning to outer space." And I'd also be protecting my family from the Presence, Quasar thought.

"Going back to being the Protector of the Universe again? That's fine. That is why you had yourself placed on reserve status."

"Yeah, I guess. Say, are you going to be all right? With the Ebony Blade and the curse, I mean."

"It's not affecting me," he said holding up the blade. "I felt it try to take over me, but I fought it off. It's gone now. There's nothing to worry about anymore."

"Well, if you're sure I'll be on my way. You've still got a quantum sphere to contact me with should you ever need me." With that statement Quasar flew up and straight into outer space.

Crystal followed him out onto the balcony.

"Dane?"

"Crystal," he said, his joy showing in his voice. She came into his arms and he held her tight.

"Is that true, what you were telling him?"

"It's true," he promised. "I felt the curse try to take over me but it failed, it's not there anymore."

"Dane," tears began to well up in her eyes. "I'm so glad."

"Me, too. Now let's go. We've got some loose ends that need to be tied up."

Dane and Crystal walked into the conference room, as always followed by Bloodstrike, and Vision, Wasp, Hercules, and Deathcry were seated around the conference table. On the center of the table were the skull and hand of Seth.

"My proposal is that we lock these items into our high-security vault to keep from those who wish to use them." Vision announced.

"Nay," said Hercules. "Secure as it is, Avengers Tower be not proof against the magic of those who would seek these."

"Hercules," the Black Knight interjected. "The Avengers are the guardians of both the Ebony Blade and the Bloodaxe. I think we can be trusted to take care of a few more cursed items."

"Friend Dane, as much as I do admire thee, thou dost not realize the potential of these artifacts. They must not be left for anyone to acquire."

"Surely Hercules would know about this mythology stuff," Deathcry volunteered.

"Look Herc, we're not going to just leave them lying around. They'll be locked up."

"Nay! Thou dost not listen! The lion of Olympus must take these there for the safety of the world!"

"Remember, you are no longer welcome in Olympus." Vision pointed out.

"Thou dost mock me!" To get to the artifacts Hercules pushed aside the Black Knight who was thrown to the floor.

"Do not attack the Black Knight!" Bloodstrike roared at him. He stepped forward and knocked Hercules aside with his mace. Not expecting the attack Hercules flew into the wall.

"Bloodstrike, no!" Crystal yelled, but he wasn't listening to her.

Deathcry, however, leapt onto Bloodstrike's shoulders and attempted to grapple with him. He got a hand on her and pulled her off. He shook her savagely and tossed her aside.

In the meantime Hercules had regained his footing and attacked Bloodstrike. "None doth strike Hercules with such impunity!" he yelled. He grabbed both of Bloodstrike's wrists and forced him back.

"Both of you, cease this battle. It accomplishes nothing for you are both Avengers. Hercules, remember our last battle against Bloodstrike," Vision attempted to reason with them.

Hercules and Bloodstrike continued to grapple, crushing furniture and walls and computer equipment around them.

"Don't just talk to them Vision, try to break them up!" Wasp called out.

"You forget my last attempt to affect Bloodstrike was completely ineffective. I suggest we try to arouse the Black Knight, he was the one who was able to calm down Bloodstrike before."

Meanwhile Bloodstrike had forced Hercules off balance and was now swinging him from side to side into walls and equipment.

Crystal knelt at Danes side, trying to revive him. "It's no good," she cried. "He's out cold."

Deathcry came to and threw herself at Bloodstrike's knees, hitting him from behind. Surprised Bloodstrike fell over backwards and dropped Hercules.

Perhaps if I cannot affect one of the combatants I can affect the other, Vision thought to himself. Silently, he approached Hercules in his intangible state.

"Hercules, look out!" Deathcry warned, seeing the Visions approach.

Realizing that he couldn't touch the Vision while intangible, Hercules clapped his hands together creating a massive concussive force. Most of the force passed through Vision but enough affected him that he flew backwards through the wall.

Seizing his opportunity while Hercules was distracted, Bloodstrike raised his axe to strike him down. Deathcry again hurled herself at Bloodstrike ruining his chance. Bloodstrike again swatted her aside.

Crystal knew that she had to end this. Dane, Vision, and Deathcry were all out of the fight. The Wasp, also, had been knocked out by Hercules' clap. Using her powers over the elements she called down a powerful blast of air, spinning it between Hercules and Bloodstrike, in an effort to separate the two Avengers.

Yet they were both incredibly strong and with a mighty effort each struggled forward to grapple with the other.

"Eric," Hercules yelled. "You have been a friend in the past yet I cannot let thy challenge go unanswered!"

"You have attacked the Black Knight and now you shall pay!" Bloodstrike retorted.

Suddenly, from between the two foemen, within the span of a heartbeat, a figure grew from microscopic to the size of a giant separating both of them, holding them apart.

"Stand aside, Henry Pym!" Hercules called out. "Thou art in the way of the scion of Zeus!"

Bloodstrike did not say anything; instead he raised his axe to chop at Henry Pym's arm which was holding him back. Judging him to be the bigger threat Henry Pym shrunk him down to the size of his hand and held him aloft.

"Give me the miscreant, Henry Pym, that I might punish him for his ways."

"Easy, Herc. He's harmless now. I'll just keep him this way until he calms down."

"We're glad to see you arrive, Dr. Pym, and at just the right time too." Crystal told him.

"I'm going by Giant-Man these days, Crystal, but you can call me Henry, or just Hank will do."

"Indeed, your arrival was most timely, Giant-Man. These two were likely to tear the place apart." Vision said as he phased back into the room.

"Yon berserker didst attack me as didst thou!"

"Hercules, that's not fair!" Wasp berated him. "You injured Dane first and he's still not recovered." The Black Knight with Crystals help was just starting to stand up and was holding his head.

"Look, you witch," Deathcry stepped forward. "You know how Herc is with his 'gift' of battle. You're lucky I don't share his gift with you right now."

"Nay, girl, hold thyself. They do indeed know how I am, as I do know how they are. Battle is much more serious to them and their willingness to share it with me is a grievous insult. Due to our past friendship I share merely take my leave rather than take out my wrath on them."

With that, Hercules turned and walked out the door leaving everyone in stunned silence.

"I hope you are all happy now!" Deathcry yelled at them. "You're loosing the best Avenger you've got! And I'd rather go with him than stay here with you!"

"I shall go and have them return." Vision said after she left.

"No, Viz." Dane said. "Let them go. Herc has always had a temper problem to work out. Let him work it out in peace."

"Did I come at a bad time?" Giant-Man asked everyone.

"You can at just the right time," Jan answered. "I thought you couldn't use your growing powers anymore due to the strain on your heart."

"That used to be a problem. In fact I had a serious heart attack just a few months ago. However I have had an automated medical facility pre-programmed for just such an occurrence. I now have an artificial heart of my own design pumping blood through my veins and, best of all; I made it durable enough to withstand my size-changing powers. So now Giant-Man is back in action!"

"You picked a great time to return to the Avengers. Just in time to break up a fight and now there's an opening on the team."

"Actually, Jan," Dane informed them. "He's here at my invitation. Hank's a biochemist and he's had experience in a matter we're about to address. The three Plodex that got away from us recently are our responsibility. They've escaped us before and it's time we did something about them. If Hank wants to become an active member before we start this he's welcome to take Herc's spot."

"I think I'll assist in this venture as a reservist and when this matter is settled we'll see if it's right for me to join the team."

"That will be fine with me," Dane responded. "In the meantime, Viz, I want you look up these remains of Seth. We don't want anyone getting their hands on them."

Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, was stretching out in a sitting room with a sketchpad designing a new costume to add to her collection when Giant-Man walked in.

"Hank," she called cheerfully. "How is the work on the Plodex situation coming?"

"Oh, things are going just fine. My old lab is still in good shape and we should soon have a way to track them down."

"You always do great work."

"Jan, do you mind if I ask you about something."

"Not at all, what is it."

"Well… I was kind of wondering… do you think there's any way that we might get back together?"

"Oh Hank, so that's what it is… There's actually someone else in my life right now… kind of."

"I see," he said dejectedly. Then his curiosity got the better of him. "Kind of?"

"He doesn't know how I feel about him. In fact he's got someone else in his life. He was interested in me once upon a time but I was seeing someone else and blew him off. And it wasn't even a serious romance either."

"Jan, I'm sorry. But don't you think it would be best not to pine away for someone who's taken?"

"I know it would be… but I just can't help it…"

"Jan," he said, taking her into an embrace. "Tell me who it is."

She started weeping onto his chest. In between the sobs he heard her murmur "It's Dane. He's the only reason I've stayed with the Avengers for so long."

Next Issue: Before this turns into too much of a soap opera the Avengers vs. the Plodex triplets! Guest staring The Sub-Mariner! In future issues, the adventures of Hercules and Deathcry!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

The Presence threatened Quasar's family if he ever returned to Earth in Quasar #60.

Hercules' godhood was removed by Zeus in Avengers #386.

The Avengers fought a rampaging Bloodstrike in issue #1 of this series.

Henry Pym studied Marrina's situation in Avengers #292.

Henry Pym had to give up superheroing due to his health problems.

Dane Whitman had a crush on Janet Van Dyne while she was seeing the Paladin in Avengers #270-5.


	6. Monsters of the Deep

  
**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #6**

_The Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar, _

_Bloodstrike, Vision, The Wasp,_

_Giant-Man, Sub-Mariner, the Invisible Woman_

For hours now a specially adjusted Avengers Quinjet has sped out over the ocean. Attached to its underside are scanners designed by Henry Pym to detect members of the Plodex race. Inside Henry Pym, a.k.a. Giant-Man, sat in the copilot's seat monitoring the scanners readings. Beside him at the controls of the Quinjet sat Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, current chairman of the Avengers.

"Anything showing up on your scanners yet, Dr. Pym?"

"Nothing yet," he answered. "The Plodex should be quite easy to pick up if they're in the area."

"What is it that's so unique about them, Hank?" asked Crystal, the Inhuman girlfriend of the Black Knight, from the next seat back.

"They're an alien race but there's more to it than that. They have a malleable genetic code that enables them to adapt the properties of whatever they imprint on. I believe these three have all imprinted on the Sub-Mariner."

"So would there be a way to un-imprint them?" asked Pulsar from her seat behind Crystal.

"Hm, that's a good thought. I'll have to keep that in mind and see if I can't come up with something. In the meantime, I'm sure the instruments are calibrated correctly. We'll just have to keep searching."

"How much more do we have to search?" asked Crystal.

"The Atlantic Ocean has a surface area of about 33,420,000 square miles with an average depth of 11,730 feet," offered Vision who was sitting beside Pulsar.

"Do we really plan on searching the whole thing?" asked the Wasp from her seat next to Crystal.

'Vision and I have worked out a search pattern based on the location where we last saw them." Dane answered. "It should minimize the search but it still may take quite a while."

"Perhaps we've been approaching this from the wrong angle," said Pulsar. "The Plodex were captured by Seth and so have no reason to stay in that vicinity. Now, they are genetically programmed conquerors and the main place to conquer under the sea would be Atlantis. Wouldn't that be the natural place to start our search from?"

Dane, looking slightly dumbfounded, looked over his shoulder at her.

"Pulsar, I do believe that your police background is making you very handy to have around. It should take no effort to adapt our search pattern to center on Atlantis."

The Quinjet made a sharp banking turn and sped off in a new direction.

Deep beneath the waves sat the pelagic city of Atlantis, normally a rather quiet city but now it was under attack by a colossal sea monster. An enormous jellyfish-like creature with numerous tentacles hundreds of feet long was ripping apart buildings and pulling out Atlanteans and pulling them into its protoplasmic body.

King Namor, ruler of Atlantis and lord of the seas, known to surface-dwellers as the Sub-Mariner, sped up out of his palace, swimming at incredible speeds, and confronted the monster. Shouting his usual battle cry, "Imperious Rex!" he grappled with a tentacle forcing it to drop the Atlantean it had picked up. However a flick of the tentacle threw Namor off and it reached for another victim.

Quickly returning to the fray Namor freed another of his subjects. This time the tentacle reached for him as a replacement. Enticing it to try to catch him as he swam around other tentacles Namor tried to tie it into knots. The jellyfish however would pull the other tentacles out of the way as soon as the knots began to tighten. Frustrated he tried grappling with the tentacle again, hoping to disable it.

Two more grabbed him and held him motionless. Then he was moved up to the jellyfish's body and placed inside. He tried to strike out at something but there was nothing to strike against. The jelly parted before him and closed up after him, remaining unaffected.

Suddenly a bubble formed around him, separating him from the acidic jelly that was starting to digest him. The bubble pulled him out of the jellyfish and left him to fight anew. Looking about he spied a blond woman atop an Atlantean building wearing a small oxygen mask.

"Susan, my wife," he called out to her. "I thank you for the rescue but stay clear of the battle. I shall fight better knowing you are safe."

Susan Storm, now Susan MacKenzie, better known as the Invisible Woman, shook her head at her husband's orders. He knew better than to make such a suggestion but she knew chivalric attitudes were part of his nature. To rescue more Atlanteans she turned her attentions back to the battle where Namor and several other of his warriors were battling the creature.

Then, unexpectedly, an Avengers Quinjet arrived and disgorged seven Avengers. Leading the charge Pulsar, as a beam of light, sped to the monster and started firing various energy blasts at it, seeing what was most effective. Giant-man, Wasp, Vision, and Bloodstrike, much slower in the water, wearing scuba gear, followed her to aid in the fighting. The Black Knight and Crystal joined Sue watching the battle.

"Thank God you've joined us," she cried. "How did you know about this?"

"We were in the area on another matter," Dane answered. "But we can talk about that later. Does your force field affect that thing?"

"It does, but it's too big for me to encase the whole thing."

"Crystal, what about your elemental powers? Can you handle that?"

"I could bring up a giant whirlpool but it would take time to get that much water moving and it would engulf everyone fighting it right now."

"Alright then, Crystal, start with a small vortex and use it like a drill. That thing should be pretty malleable. Sue, use your force field to scoop away large portions of the creature. Hopefully that will be enough to drive it off."

Energy blasts from Pulsar and Wasp were injuring the jellyfish and now it was suffering from Crystal and Sue's attacks. It lashed out with several tentacles at two buildings. It then turned and fled as the buildings collapsed.

Namor and his warriors turned to rescue efforts and several Avengers joined them. Pulsar however rejoined Dane and Crystal and Sue.

"I could follow that creature, Dane, if you want," she questioned.

"I wouldn't recommend it." Hank interjected as he joined them. "That last act was not one of a wild animal. The jellyfish was just a pawn, controlled by someone else, most likely the Plodex we tracked here."

"Good point, Hank. Pulsar, search the area, see if you can find them. Hank, you'll be needed more in the rescue efforts." Dane ordered and they both sped off.

"The Plodex are here?" Sue asked.

"We were trying to track them and started here. We were surprised when our scanners said they were in the area. They were probably behind the attack."

Pulsar instantly reappeared beside them. "I've found them but they're swimming off quickly. I can harry them if you want to catch up to them."

"Yes, go!" Dane turned to Sue. "Namor's our fastest transport; can you get him to take us?"

"Sure," she nodded. She then spoke into a communicator on her wrist. "Namor, we've found those responsible for this. We need your help to catch them."

As soon as she spoke Namor swam up to them followed closely by Andromeda.

"They're off this way." Dane pointed the direction Pulsar had gone.

Namor grabbed Dane by the hand and hauled him off following Pulsar.

Responding to Sue's gestured commands Andromeda followed, pulling Sue and Crystal behind her.

Namor and the Black Knight came upon Pulsar and the three Plodex warriors. They were standing back to back in a circle as she flew around them corralling them into one spot. One of them carried the Horn of Neptune.

"Stand down, fair lady," Namor cried out to Pulsar. "The avenging son is here to do battle with his traitorous offspring!"

"And the Avengers are here by your side," Dane proclaimed, sword drawn, holding himself afloat under his own power now.

One of the Plodex launched himself at Namor and the other at Dane. The third however lifted the horn and blew a long steady note. Another huge scaly monster emerged from the depths. Having large pointed teeth, it opened its gigantic mouth and sped towards the Black Knight, whose opponent darted away. Twin optic blasts, part of Dane's Sersi-granted Eternal powers, hammered away at the creature and it turned aside.

It then turned towards Namor and attempted to swallow him whole. Namor's opponent also darted away, leaving Namor standing inside the monsters mouth straining to hold its jaws open. Andromeda, still carrying Sue and Crystal, swam up to the scene.

"Namor, hold on, we're coming," Sue called.

"No! This creature is an innocent victim of the Plodex and the power of the Horn of Neptune. We don't need to fight it. Pulsar, this is a creature of the depths, a bright enough light will chase it off!"

Using her ability to tap into other-dimensional stores of energy, Pulsar became a being of pure light shining forth like a beacon under the waves. Everyone but Pulsar herself had to look away as she chased off the undersea leviathan.

Blinking to recover his eyesight after she was done, Dane looked around and not only had the monster fled but the Plodex were missing as well.

"Do not worry about them, my friends," Namor said, "We have won ourselves a great victory this day. Come back to Atlantis with us and we shall have a celebration in honor of the Avengers!"

Back in Atlantis, they were still clearing debris and searching for survivors. Vision and Wasp would search through the piles of wreckage, Wasp at a small size and Vision in an intangible state. When survivors were found Vision would increase his density until he was strong enough to help Bloodstrike dig them out. The rescuing continued in this vein for quite some time until no more survivors were found.

"Are you sure there's no one left?" Wasp asked her teammates.

"I have searched through the entire wreckage and have found no more people buried there. My search pattern was exhaustive." Vision answered.

"What is going on now?" she asked as just then the Atlanteans seemed to become agitated and excited.

"The Sub-Mariner and the Black Knight and the rest of the Avengers are returning."

Wasp and Bloodstrike looked up and watched as they came up to the wrecked buildings and joined her. While Namor excused them and went to talk to his people Dane took his team aside.

"I'm not too happy about it but the Plodex got away. We'll have to track them again and next time we find them getting that horn away from them will be high priority. In the meantime Namor wants to have a celebration in our honor and then we'll get back on the trail."

"What about Hank?" Jan asked. "Where is he?"

"Last time I saw him I had sent him to help you. Did he come over here to help you?"

"He was here for a while but I thought he went with you."

"No, he never joined us."

"He was last seen in this area when you called Namor away to catch the Plodex. He has not been seen here since."

"He might have hidden in a shrunken size on one of us and then hidden away on one of the Plodex," Dane guessed.

"That would be consistent with his personality profile."

"Oh no! You don't think he'd do that, do you?" Jan asked.

"He might. If that's the case I'm sure he'll be contacting us soon. Just in case, Vision, I want you to search the area around here for him. Pulsar, return to where we fought the Plodex and search there. Otherwise we'll just have to wait."

That night there was a grand feast held in the imperial palace in honor of the Avengers. They enjoyed a wide variety of unusual entertainments rarely seen on the surface world.

Bloodstrike spent the evening sitting alone and brooding. Vision while enjoying himself was coldly logical in his comments. Jan was worried about Hank and Dane was a little worried but everyone else had a good time.

"Is there a problem?" the Invisible Woman asked him as she walked up.

"Just the usual worries a group's leader has to face." Dane answered. "I've been told I take these problems a little more seriously than most leaders have in the past. I'm sure that being with Namor down here, you're used to things like that."

"Yes, I have, but that reminds me, as leader of the Avengers there's something I need to share with you."

"What is it?"

"Not here, it's too crowded. There're private rooms in the back where we can talk."

She led him through a door behind a curtain into a smaller room off of the main hall.

"There was something you wanted to show me?" Dane asked her.

"This!" she said as, using her invisibility powers, her clothes disappeared and she embraced him. "Come live with me down here and we can dispatch Namor!"

"What? Sue! No!" Dane sputtered, not sure what to do.

"With your powers we can rule this city together and then we could take over the world!"

"No!" he said. He was trying to grab her arms and push her away but was held by her force field when they heard a short scream. Turning towards the door they saw Crystal standing in the doorway in shocked disbelief.

Out in the great hall, reacting quicker than the others, Pulsar then Namor rushed into the room.

"What goes on here?" Namor demanded.

"Namor!" Sue cried, having already let her clothes reappear. "The Black Knight! He brought me back here and tried to force himself upon me. Do something."

"Unhand my queen, you traitor!" Namor yelled. "You Avengers come here just as we're being attacked to 'help' us and now you try to take my queen! Guards! Capture the Avengers!"

Next Issue: The Plodex! The Horn of Neptune! Sub-Mariner! Malice! Attuma! And a trip to Bermuda!


	7. Battle in Bermuda

  
**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #7**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision, The Wasp,_

_Sub-Mariner, The Invisible Woman_

"Guards! Capture the Avengers!" King Namor cried having just seen Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, chairman of the Avengers, attacking his wife, Sue MacKenzie, the Invisible Woman.

They were in a back room of Namor's Atlantean palace and as guards rushed in they first met Crystal, Dane's girlfriend, who was standing in the doorway in disbelief. They grabbed her by the arms and she turned her anger upon them. The atmosphere in the palace was an Atlantean science/sorcery creation called airy water that could be breathed by both Atlantean and surface dweller. The airy water swirled around her and blew the guards back through the door knocking away a good portion of the wall too.

Namor himself attacked Dane landing a good punch and knocking the startled Avenger across the room. Had it not been for the powers of an Eternal granted to him by Sersi, the blow might have taken his head off.

The rest of the Avengers, Bloodstrike, Vision, and Wasp, hearing the commotion rushed to the room and saw Namor again strike the Black Knight. Andromeda and Namorita followed in their wake just in time to see the Black Knight blast Namor with an optic blast.

"Grab them!" Namor yelled. "Capture the Avengers!"

Andromeda grabbed the Vision and Namorita grabbed Bloodstrike. Both of whom shrugged off their attackers.

"Bloodstrike, hold off the Atlantean soldiers. I'll take care of Namorita." Wasp ordered as she shot one of her stings at Bloodstrike's attacker.

Meanwhile, Crystal turned her attention to the Invisible Woman and shot a gust of airy water at her.

"What were you doing to Dane?" she cried.

"What was I doing? He attacked me, you witch!" Sue answered as she defended herself with a force field.

"You can hide behind a force field, but I can control the air and water behind the field too!" The airy water around Sue behind her force field began to swirl and churn. Sue wrapped herself with a skin-tight field and then anchored herself with lines of force.

In another corner Namor and the Black Knight faced each other.

"For this affront to the royal family of Atlantis, you shall pay, surface-dweller!"

"Namor, honestly, she jumped me! I didn't know what was going on."

"Now you lie to cover your crimes! Have you no honor?" Namor swooped in again with his fists.

Suddenly everyone was pushed back as one entire wall of the room exploded with masonry flying everywhere as a Quinjet crashed into the room.

"Hurry, everyone, climb aboard!" Pulsar called from the driver's seat. "Someone take the controls, while I cover our escape!"

She burst into the room throwing bolts of energy this way and that way as her fellow Avengers rushed on board the Quinjet. The Atlanteans were pushed back and the Quinjet flew away with the rest of the team. Pulsar sped after them.

In a cave, three Plodex soldiers argued over their plans of conquest.

"I thought that with the Horn of Neptune we were supposed to easily be able to conquer Atlantis."

"No one knew the accursed Avengers would arrive."

"The plan was not going well before that. We don't want to destroy the city, we want to conquer it."

"Then how is the Horn supposed to help us?"

Just then a tiny figure leapt out of a belt one of them was wearing and grew to full size as he landed on the floor.

"Who is that?"

"It's one of the Avengers!"

"Attack him, don't let him escape!"

"Easy guys," Hank calmed them as he grew to a larger size to dissuade combat. "I'm not trying to escape and I don't want to fight."

"You cannot escape!"

"You do not want to fight?"

"Then want do you want?"

"I have a proposition for you. For I believe I can help you, and you can help me…"

In a Quinjet speeding through the ocean:

"Does anyone know what was going on back there?" Wasp asked her teammates.

"Yes, Dane, tell us what was going on back there!" Crystal yelled through her tears.

"I honestly don't know what was happening."

"You're lying! I saw you embracing her with your arms wrapped tightly around her!"

"I really don't know how that happened. They seemed to move of their own accord."

"What kind of excuse is that?"

"Take it easy Crys, there's something you're not taking into account." Pulsar broke in.

"And just what would that be?"

"Only I saw it because I can move at the speed of light, but when I first entered that room, Sue had no clothes on."

"She had no clothes on!" Crystal was on the verge of throwing herself at Dane.

"But when you came in, she did have clothes on, right?"

"Yeah," Crystal hesitated now, confused. "How did that happen?"

"Sue MacKenzie's powers enable her to make objects invisible. We can conclude that she had made her clothing invisible to Dane, and then had them reappear when everyone entered the room," Vision pointed out.

"So she made her clothes invisible?"

"Which means that Dane did not attack her, and our boy here has been telling the truth," Wasp added.

"But why did you have your arms wrapped around her?" Crystal asked Dane again, wanting to know the truth.

"Another of Sue MacKenzie's powers is her force fields which enable her to make shields and other shapes like ropes. With powers like these she can make things seem to move on their own."

"So she probably pulled Dane's arms around her. That's why they just seemed to move against his will," Wasp concluded.

But Crystal wasn't listening to anyone anymore. She was hugging Dane and crying into his shoulder. "Oh Dane, I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over.

"It's okay, Crys. None of us knew what was going on. You had every right to be upset."

"The only question now is why would she do something like this?"

"Yeah, this isn't at all like the Sue we all know. I can't imagine her ever doing anything like this," Wasp said.

"There is one possible explanation."

"What's that, Pulsar?" Dane asked still holding Crystal.

"There is an alternate personality deep within the Invisible Woman that has come out before. Known as Malice, this personality is evil, manipulative, and controlling. This Malice has fought the Fantastic Four before and I thought they had eliminated it, but if it has returned it does explain a lot."

"Great," Dane said. "So Malice is in control of Sue MacKenzie and Namor believes her lies. That is going to be a tough nut to crack."

"Dane, we seem to be receiving a hail," informed the Vision, who was piloting the Quinjet.

"Who is hailing us down here at the bottom of the ocean?"

"It's the warlord, Attuma!"

"Attuma! Why is he attacking?"

"Easy, Jan. He isn't attacking. He's only hailing us. Let's hear what he has to say."

They opened a hatch on the bottom of the Quinjet and Attuma, the undersea barbarian warlord, climbed in.

"Greetings, Avengers."

"Let's keep this brief, Attuma. What do you want?" the Black Knight asked.

"I come to you to propose an alliance."

"Why would we form an alliance with you? We've always been enemies in the past. What kind of alliance would we form with you?"

"A mutually beneficial alliance. My spotters have told me of your falling out with Namor. I have a vast army just waiting to attack Atlantis. Together we can defeat Namor and conquer the city!"

Dane was already opening the hatch again. "Sorry, Attuma. We have no interest in helping you conquer Atlantis. You can swim away and try it on your own. I'm sure Namor will kick your tail the way he always does."

"You seek to take Atlantis by yourselves? You will have to deal with me eventually." Attuma dove through the hatch and swam away.

On the island of Bermuda, in the City of Hamilton, a cloaked figure watched from a rooftop as he sensed the events that were about to happen.

Suddenly, just off the coast a giant crab broke the surface and started crawling towards the shore. It broke apart one ship in a huge claw and capsized a few others as it crawled past. The huge crab walked up to the shore wrecking docks and warehouses as it went.

Out of nowhere a beam of light flashed by and hovered in front of the crab. Several well placed blasts of energy halted the crab in its tracks.

"Come on, baby, no one wants to hurt you. We just want to you to go back out to sea," Pulsar called out, hoping a calm voice would have some effect on the crustacean.

Responding to the town's SOS, the Quinjet landed nearby and the rest of the Avengers spilled out.

"Come on, Avengers, let's herd this thing back into the sea!" the Black Knight yelled.

Bloodstrike and Vision literally started pushing the crab towards the sea while Crystal and the Wasp gently herded it with small bursts of energy. Pulsar was about to join them when something fast flew right through her. It had no effect on her and she looked in vain to see what it was.

Bloodstrike and Crystal were tackled unexpectedly and both pinned by their assailants. Dane had just noted that they were attacked by two of the Plodex, when he sensed the third coming up behind him.

Reacting quickly with his Eternal might, he backhanded the Plodex into a wall. He saw the third warrior recover and lift the Horn of Neptune to his lips. Dane lashed out with the Ebony Blade and the Horn shattered into thousands of pieces.

The Horn shattered with an eerie explosion and then dozens of sea monsters started emerging from the depths.

On a nearby rooftop, a cloaked figure sighed in dismay and disappeared.

Ignoring the Plodex, Dane knew they had to drive them back quickly.

"Avengers Attack!" he yelled. Bloodstrike and Crystal both threw off their assailants and the Avengers dove into the rising throng of monsters. Pulsar drove the giant crab back into the sea with more energy bursts pushing smaller monsters in its path. Using wind and sea and sand, Crystal assaulted the monsters. Vision, using both solar blasts and iron strength, was a force to be reckoned with. Together, wielding magical sword and axe and mace, Black Knight and Bloodstrike finished the job, clearing the shoreline of any and all unnatural creatures.

And in the end it was just the five of them, exhausted and alone on the beach.

"I do believe the Plodex have again taken their opportunity to escape."

"But what on Earth was their motive in making this attack?" Pulsar asked.

"They're picking us off one by one," Dane cried. "Notice now the Wasp is gone!"

Next Issue: The Plodex! (again!) Sub-Mariner! Malice! Attuma!


	8. Small Favors

**Issue #8**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision,_

_Sub-Mariner, The Invisible Woman_

"I'm really getting tired of this; first, Giant-Man and now the Wasp!" The Black Knight threw up his hands in disgust. Parked on a Bermudan dock, he was seated in the Quinjet with Crystal, Pulsar, Bloodstrike and Vision.

"It is possible that the two disappearances are unrelated," Vision pointed out.

"How could that be? They both disappeared while we were fighting the Plodex."

"We searched all over the city of Hamilton. There was no sign of the Wasp anywhere," Pulsar added.

"When Hank disappeared it was somewhat in character. Now that Jan has vanished too, I'm getting worried."

"Relax, Dane. We can still track down the Plodex and, now that they don't have the Horn of Neptune, we can face them directly," Crystal said.

"That seems like our best option. And Lord help them when I do find them."

As usual, Bloodstrike said nothing.

"Dane, we are getting an SOS signal from Atlantis."

They had been searching the ocean for a few more hours when they got the signal.

"Is it the Plodex attacking again?"

"No, this time it's Attuma attacking. Should we send a response?"

"No, don't send a response, but we will respond, after all we are still the Avengers."

Again the Avengers Quinjet descended on Atlantis. Except this time, instead of an attacking sea monster, there was a barbarian army camped outside the city. Attuma's army could be seen attacking the gates and the Atlantean defenders could be seen rallying to the cause.

"Is there any sign that the Plodex are involved in this?" Dane asked.

"No sign of the Plodex at all but I can tell where Attuma probably is and where Namor seems to be commanding from."

"Land us somewhere away from them. Somewhere we can lend a hand and not have to worry too much about political complications."

The Quinjet set down near the battle and five Avengers issued forth scattering barbarian invaders in their wake.

The Avengers were sweeping Attuma's invaders away before them when Namor appeared on the scene.

"Dane Whitman!" he called out. "Do not think you can escape Atlantean justice just by aiding in this war. Whether you help in this battle or not, I will seek you out when this is over and you will pay for your perfidy!"

Then as quickly as he appeared, Namor was off to another part of the battlefield.

Suddenly, just as Namor left, the Avengers were hit hard by an ocean current, knocking many of them off their feet.

"Crystal, can you tell what that was? It felt like your elemental powers." Dane called out but none of his teammates appeared to have heard him. Just then Bloodstrike and Vision were each tackled by a Plodex warrior as another ocean current hit them.

But this time the Black Knight didn't feel it. He tried to go help his friends but found he couldn't move a muscle.

"What's going on here?"

"That's simple," a voice coming up from behind him answered. "My force fields are holding you in place."

"Invisible Woman! Or I should call you Malice?"

"Ah, very good, my bold knight, you have found me out."

"Don't you think my friends will see me pinned here and come help?"

"No, I don't, for we are both invisible and another force field keeps them from hearing us. We are all alone here on the battlefield."

Dane looked out on the battle before him. Bloodstrike was grappling with one of the Plodex, Vision was trading energy blasts with his opponent, and Crystal was using her elemental powers on her foe who seemed to be using them back on her.

"Those aren't the powers they had before," Dane noticed.

"Ignore them," Malice said. "Your soldiers can take care of themselves. Think about what I can offer. I charmed Namor and made myself Queen of Atlantis. With your powers and leadership of the Avengers, I could become Queen of the World!"

Even as he felt her hands caressing him, Dane looked out over the battlefield. One of the Plodex had wrestled Bloodstrike's axe away from him and slashed through Pulsar, knocking her out. Enraged Bloodstrike redoubled his attack.

Vision was felled by the eye beams of his opponent who seemed immune to the solar energy that came from Vision forehead jewel.

Crystal seemed to be evenly matched with her opponent.

"It seems as if the Plodex are no longer imprinted on Namor and are now imprinted on some of us? I wonder how they made that change…"

"Forget them, you fool! Don't you hear what I'm telling you!"

"I hear what you're saying. You want to use me in your latest power trip. Well, you may need me but I don't need you. I can do everything you're thinking of without your help. You like that I'm the leader of the Avengers, but what kind of leader doesn't pay attention when his team is falling in battle?"

Bloodstrike had pounded the Plodex he was fighting with the mace and retrieved his axe. Crystal's experience with her powers had won out and she had defeated her foe. Together they were both advancing on the one who had defeated the Vision.

"Your team seems to be handling themselves quite capably."

"How can you think that? Two of them down and two of us down? Now there's one more of them; am I going to have to watch one more of my team lose out? Wait a minute; he was shooting out of his eyes. Vision can't do that. He couldn't imprint on the Vision; he imprinted on me!"

The Plodex facing Bloodstrike and Crystal reached out with his hands and the Ebony Blade appeared in his grasp. He struck Crystal with the flat of the blade and she fell like a stone. He then faced off with Bloodstrike who had both his mace and his axe.

Dane felt the curse of the Ebony Blade wash over him as the Blade vanished from his hands.

"NOOOO!" he cried. He started forward, tearing through the force fields like paper.

"Wait!" Malice yelled, her force fields trying to stop him.

He turned to her, his eyes glowing red with Eternal energy. His hand grasped her face and, just for a moment, she felt fear, then nothing, as she was turned to stone.

Without a second thought from her, the Black Knight threw himself at the remaining Plodex warrior. He caught the blade in his hand and again it drew blood, this time his.

With a renewed force the curse hit him and he bellowed in rage. Sharing his rage, Bloodstrike lashed out with his axe biting into the Plodex.

Two other Plodex tried to sneak off the battlefield but they were caught by the berserker rage of two out of control Avengers.

Next Issue: What about Giant-Man and the Wasp!


	9. Ultron Unbound

  
**Issue #9**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision,_

_Giant-Man, The Wasp_

"Any luck yet, Viz?" the Black Knight asked.

"Negative, I have not been able to locate either one. We are not receiving their ID card's transponder signal. Nor can I track their ID cards from any of the satellites."

"Giant-Man's helmet has some very specialized equipment in it. Have you tried tracking him from that angle?"

"I have indeed without any success. I have also tried to contact the Wasp on the same frequency she used when she could communicate with insects."

"And neither are responding to normal calls through their ID cards. It's like they just disappeared."

Crystal entered the communication room of the Avengers Tower where Black Knight and Vision were working. Bloodstrike stood by silently in the corner.

"Dane, when are we going to talk about what happened in Atlantis?" she asked him.

"Not now, I've got two Avengers missing and I don't plan on resting till I find out where they are."

With a flash of light Monica Rambeau, the Avenger known as Pulsar appeared before them in the communication room of the Avenger's Tower.

"I've searched every known location for both Giant-Man and Wasp and there's no sign of them. I don't know why you had me search there when it seems to me that they've both been kidnapped."

"We don't know that for a fact," the Black Knight said. "Actually, I have a theory about that. If you think about it—"

Suddenly, an alarm sounded.

"Intruder alert in a storage room on level 5. Sensors report, and I have visual confirmation, it's Ultron!"

"Alright Avengers, let's get down there fast! Vision and Pulsar, take the direct route. Crystal, Bloodstrike, we'll use the turbo override on the elevator."

Pulsar was first to arrive. She easily located Ultron who was ripping apart storage boxes and she hit him with a burst of concussive energy but he seemed strong enough to shake it off.

"I have never met you before, Avenger, but you don't seem to be that much of a threat." Ultron fired a concussive blast at her but it passed through her destroying equipment behind her.

Vision then phased through the ceiling.

"Stay back, Pulsar. I can deal with him."

Vision increased his density to diamond hardness and started trading blows with Ultron.

"I thought Hercules left the team. It doesn't look like you can survive too long on your own. We'll handle this as a team."

Pulsar flew between the two combatants and hit Ultron with a larger concussive blast. The blast sent him flying through more boxes of stored equipment. Just then the elevator opened and the Black Knight, Crystal, and Bloodstrike entered.

"I am not ready for this battle," Ultron declared. "But wait! This piece of equipment gives me an idea."

He jumped up onto a platform and started working controls.

"That's Dr. Doom's time machine!" Dane yelled. "I don't know what he's doing but someone stop him."

Pulsar sped across the room but Ultron and the time machine had already faded to just an image. Then other Ultrons started appearing and merging together. While each one was different; each one was recognizably Ultron; each with a different number on his forehead."

"Does anybody know what's going on?" Dane asked as they approached the images.

"It looks like he's calling different versions of himself through time and merging with them. It is like he using the time machine to compress his evolution into a few moments."

"If that's true we'd better be prepared, Avengers. He's going to be more powerful than ever."

Just then there was a small explosion and a new Ultron stood before them. He was about ten feet tall, crystalline in structure, and crackling with energy.

"Fear me, Avengers, for now I am Ultron-Infinite!"

On his forehead where normally there was a number, there now was an infinity symbol.

"Avengers Attack!" Dane yelled. "Hit him hard and fast!"

All of the Avengers assaulted him at that moment but only the Ebony Blade and the Bloodaxe got through the energy field to leave scratches on the new crystal skin and the scratches healed up promptly.

Pulsar hit him with a blast of energy and instead of recoiling he started drinking it in, drawing more energy out of her till she managed to break off the contact.

Ultron then fired another concussive blast, scattering Avengers and destroying equipment.

"Pulsar, I'll try to give you an opening. When I do give him everything you've got." Black Knight yelled.

"I'm weakened but I'll still make him feel it," she replied.

The Black Knight approached Ultron fending off blasts with his Ebony Blade. When he reached him he simply laid the blade against him, knowing that with the blade's magic, the angle was the important part. Quickly shifting the blade around he found the proper angle and the energy just started flowing out of the robot and into the blade.

"What's going on?" Ultron screamed.

But as he did, Pulsar hit him with the full measure of her power, as much as she had ever done before. The Avengers felt the fallout; the Vision shielded Crystal and the others withstood it as best they could. Pulsar pulled back, exhausted and, as Ultron staggered, Bloodstrike leapt on him, striking him again and again with the axe, cracking open his crystalline skin.

"This team of Avengers is strong but I have incorporated the time machine into my circuitry. All I have to do is travel forward in time to when you are at your weakest point and then I will win!"

Ultron slowly faded from sight as he slipped into the time stream.

"I guess now we need to be constantly prepared for his attack," Pulsar said, still reeling from exhaustion.

"We will put safeguards into place," Dane said. "But I'm not too worried. Even at their weakest, the Avengers can handle Ultron."

"I do not understand this whole battle. It is completely unlike anything Ultron has done before," Vision declared.

"I know what you mean, Viz," said Crystal. "It's like he didn't have a plan or anything, like he was improvising the whole thing."

"It was a distraction," Dane said.

"You were saying earlier that you had a theory?"

"Yes. Vision, your engrams, or brainwaves, were based on those of Simon Williams, Wonder Man. He was originally a villain in the employ of Baron Zemo but quickly turned to our side. So it's not surprising that when Ultron sent you against us, Vision, you turned to our side also."

"What are you getting at?" Crystal asked.

"The Wasp's engrams were used as the pattern for Jocasta and she also became one of the good guys."

"And Ultron?" Pulsar asked.

"It's not a well known fact, but Ultron's engrams are those of Henry Pym."

"Are you saying that Ultron could someday become a force for good?"

"While that is possible, Crys, it's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Dr. Pym has the potential to become a force of evil."

"Of course, it all makes sense now!" Pulsar exclaimed. "I gave him the idea that the Plodex could un-imprint. He contacted them after our first fight. At our second fight they re-imprinted on some of us, and at our third fight they had some of our powers!"

"It did seem in the second fight as if they were just trying to touch each of us."

"At the beginning of the battle one flew right through me, and then none of them had my powers. Perhaps since I was in light form they couldn't imprint on me."

"As a synthezoid, they could not imprint on me either, and none of them tried. That second battle was also the one where the Wasp disappeared; kidnapping her for Dr. Pym must have been their end of the bargain."

"So what do we do now?"

"Now we find them and rescue Jan, with no more distractions!"

Meanwhile, in a secret laboratory, Dr. Henry Pym, Giant-Man was feverishly working away at one of his computer stations. Nearby, Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, was held captive by an energy field.

"Hank, what are you doing?"

"If I can just keep the Avengers preoccupied for a little longer, I can shrink the Hornet's Hideaway down to microscopic size and no one will be able to find us. And I think I've just found the perfect distraction…"

Next Issue: Whatever happened to Bloodwraith and Morgan Le Fay!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

The Avengers lost Dr. Doom's time machine in issue #268


	10. Rescuing Friends

  
**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #10**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision,_

_Giant-Man, The Wasp_

Dane Whitman, a.k.a. the Black Knight, burst through the doors out onto his balcony atop Avengers Tower, overlooking the city of New Amsterdam. Several of the Avengers were following him.

"Dane, where are you going?" Crystal asked him. "We've got to try to track down Ultron. Lord only knows how powerful he is now or where he's going."

"Ultron is not the problem right now. Yes, he's more powerful than ever, but he's traveling through time and we have no way to track him. Besides that he's traveling through time to us. We'll be there when he arrives, you can count on that. No, the real problem right now is the Wasp. She's in the hands of Henry Pym and who knows what he's capable of right now?"

"How do you plan on finding them?" Monica Rambeau, a.k.a. Pulsar, asked him. "We already tried every thing we could to find them."

"No, we didn't. I still haven't tried a mental scan."

"Dane," Crystal gasped. "Are you sure you want to try that. We still don't know the limits of your powers."

"It doesn't matter. The Wasp is an Avenger and she needs our help. Do we really need to question doing all we can to help her?"

"Avengers, come quickly," the Vision materialized up through the floor. "I have just received a distress call from Bloodwraith. He has been captured by Morgan le Fay is requesting our help."

"No! We are going to rescue the Wasp and that's final."

"But Dane, surely you can't ignore Sean Dolan. He was your squire after all." Crystal pointed out.

"I'm not ignoring Sean. I'm just putting our priorities in place. We'll help Sean after we help Jan."

"But Dane, Jan herself, being an Avenger, would put rescuing others ahead of her." Pulsar said.

"Yes, she might. But have you noticed that whenever I try to do this we get interrupted? I was about to try it earlier when Ultron showed up. Now Sean's message."

"It does seem rather coincidental."

"I think we're on to something and I think we need to try this."

Dane closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. Then he abruptly opened his eyes and withdrew his sword, The Ebony Blade.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," he said.

"It didn't work!" Dr. Henry Pym was feverishly working at a computer console in the Hornet's Hideaway. "I thought that surely the Black Knight would try to save his errant squire. Now I have precious little time to save us."

"Hank," Wasp called from her nearby energy prison. "You were an Avenger for too long. You should know you'll never be able to escape them. Come with us, Hank, let us help you."

"Help me? Do you even know what you're trying to help me with?"

"Hank-"

"Don't you realize that the Black Knight is the cause of all the problems?"

"Listen-"

"And I was an Avenger long enough to know that the only reason they've been so successful in the past is because they've never had to face anyone as brilliant as I before!"

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a wall of black metal appeared between them.

The Black Knight pulled his Ebony Blade out of the stone barrier at the edge of the balcony and swiftly chopped into it again, cutting out a triangular section. He stabbed in the section and lifted it out. A tiny figure flew out of it and grew to a larger size.

"Quick," Wasp shouted. "Hank's about to shrink his entire base down to microscopic size."

"It's too late," Dane replied. "I can tell he's already gone. He must've shrunk himself and left his base behind."

"I am glad to see that the Wasp is safe but I believe Dr. Pym has reduced himself to a lower priority. Perhaps now we should address the Bloodwraith issue." Vision announced.

As the Avengers gathered around a computer console listening, the Vision played back the distress call: "… Avengers! … captured … Morgan le Fay... Blade … vanished. … help."

"The transmission is somewhat garbled but the meaning is clear."

"You're right about that Vision. How did we receive the signal?"

"It came through on a signal consistent with Dr. Pym's ant communication."

"Do you think he was trying to lead us into a trap?" Pulsar asked.

"I remember him talking about this and it sounded like he found the message, not like he made it up," the Wasp offered.

"It does match Sean Dolan's voice according to the computers."

"It sounds like him to me also and I should know his voice."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Dane. What happened wasn't your fault."

"You don't think so, Jan? I'm not thinking about him becoming Bloodwraith. Why do you think Sean might've been captured by Morgan le Fay? Maybe it's because I took the Ebony Blade away from him when he needed it. So maybe it is my fault he's been captured and I'm going to find him, the same way I found you."

"But there's no guarantee he'll be as easy to find as I was."

Her pleas were too late. He had already drawn the Ebony Blade, which had a connection with Sean Dolan also and was concentrating. He cast his mind adrift realizing that Sean was possibly not even on Earth and so he simply tried to use the blade as a conduit to Sean. Pushing his mind through different dimensions till the sweat rolled off his brow, he finally found it.

"Avengers Assemble!" he cried. "Sean Dolan still lives and needs to be avenged. He is not on Earth but caged in some realm of the sorceress. Come!"

The Black Knight waved his hands and a swirling gate of black energy opened before them. The gate was impossible to see through but that didn't stop him. He stepped into the gate and was gone from sight.

Bloodstrike didn't wait for the rest of the Avengers. As soon as the Black Knight stepped through, Bloodstrike wordlessly followed him.

"This is not a strategically sound maneuver." Vision said.

"He doesn't seem to have a plan but at this point we can't just abandon him." Wasp replied.

"If we're going to follow we need to do it soon. Without Dane here that gate is going to close." Pulsar noticed.

The gate did indeed seem to be closing, getting a little smaller and smaller. Wordlessly agreeing Crystal, Pulsar, Vision, and Wasp each stepped through the portal.

Next Issue: The Cabal!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Hank Pym's Hornet Hideaway was last seen in Avengers Annual 2001 and was located in a tree outside Avengers Mansion.

Sean Dolan became Bloodwraith in Avengers Annual #22.

The Black Knight took the Ebony Blade away from Bloodwraith in Issue #4 of this series.


	11. The Chains that Bind

  
**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #11**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision, The Wasp_

_Scarlet Witch, Dr. Druid_

In her form made of light, Monica Rambeau, the Avenger known as Pulsar, was the fastest Avenger. She sped through the Black Knight's portal, arriving in a stone hallway, only to see a man with long silver hair in a green cloak leaning over the unconscious bodies of the Black Knight and Bloodstrike, picking up the Ebony Blade and the Executioner's Axe. She alit in front of him to confront him when she saw the other figures behind him. Led by Morgan le Fay they all lifted their arms and Pulsar fell just in time to see three other avengers come through the portal.

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She awoke chained to a wall in what was basically a dungeon. The room was large and circular and the other Avengers were each chained to the wall. They all seemed to be coming to just she did. She looked at the manacles holding her wrist and radiated heat from her hands. The manacles were unaffected. She changed her hands into several different forms of energy but her bonds resisted all of them. Finally she changed her body into intangible tachyons to slip through the bonds but she found still was unable to escape.

She looked around at her teammates and saw each of them using their various powers to try to escape and each having as much luck as she did. Bloodstrike seemed to be struggling quite frantically. She assumed that was due to the absence of the Bloodaxe. She also noticed the Thunderstrike mace was missing. Why he didn't revert back to Eric Masterson without it, she didn't understand. It was possibly due to some interactive magical effects of the Bloodaxe.

The Black Knight also seemed to be having troubles. His eyes had been glowing red ever since they'd returned from Atlantis but they seemed to be more intense now. Sweat was dripping from his brow as he was trying to break his bonds also. The Ebony Blade was also missing and she wondered what effect that was having on him.

Not struggling against his bonds, Sean Dolan was bound up along with them. He was unconscious, hanging from his chains.

They all stopped struggling when the door opened and Morgan le Fay walked in. What really surprised them is who followed her. After her came Modred the Mystic, whom they had seen work with Morgan le Fay before. Then came Kulan Gath, whom some of the Avengers had opposed with Dr. Strange. Pulsar recognized Count Alessandro di Cagliostro from her own adventures. There were three other sorcerous types that none of the Avengers knew. But what really shocked them was when Dr. Druid and the Scarlet Witch entered with them.

"Wanda," Vision said in a hushed whisper.

"Greetings, Avengers, you can't escape. The chains have been enchanted to resist all your powers and we know what powers you have." Morgan cackled. "I see you recognize some of the members of our little cabal."

"Wanda, what's going on here?" Wasp asked her. "Don't tell me you've thrown in with this witch?"

"Ha, ha," she replied. "Don't tell me you're still with these foolish Avengers?"

"What's become of you, Wanda?" Pulsar asked. "We used to be friends, n'est-ce pas?"

"Oui, but it was Mockingbird, an Avenger, who showed the government how to take my husband away from me. And then Simon wouldn't give him back to me. After my children were taken from me I vowed I would get revenge on all of the Avengers."

The Avengers were shocked into a silence that was only broken by Morgan le Fay's laughter.

"What about you, Dr. Druid?" the Black Knight asked. "I haven't seen you since you tried to throw me out of an airlock."

"The last I remember was when you used hypnosis to compel the Avengers to vote you as chairman in my stead." Pulsar said.

"I was used by Nebula," Dr. Druid responded. "But now you will experience the true might of Dr. Druid."

"This is all very fascinating Morgan," one of the other sorcerers said. "Can we please get on with it?"

"Very well, Kaluu. I really only wanted to torture the Avengers a bit. We originally wanted the Horn of Neptune, but after you destroyed it, we decided to use your magic items. You see, we've developed spells to draw power off of enchanted items. Now that we have yours, along with a few others we've collected, we're off to get plenty more. Then we'll be able to obtain our true objective."

"And what is that?" Wasp asked her.

"You'll just have to wonder. Modred, I want you to stay and guard the prisoners while we're gone."

"But…"

"No arguments! We'll be back."

With that all the members of the Cabal except for Modred swept out of the room.

"What is wrong, Modred? Do they not trust you?" Vision asked.

"Shut up, android. At least I'm not imprisoned by my own wife." He retorted.

"No, you can't even get a wife, can you, Modred?" Crystal asked when she picked up on what the Vision was trying to do.

"If I did she wouldn't leave me for another. Not someone who's cursed himself."

Modred was raving now but as he started talking about the Black Knight, Bloodstrike began to snarl and growl and tried to reach him despite the chains.

"Look who we hear from now, the poster boy for the cursed. What's wrong? Can't you find your precious little axe? You don't even look intelligent enough to use it."

Bloodstrike pulled even harder and his chains didn't break but the stones they were embedded in suddenly pulled out of the walls and he lunged at Modred. Modred screamed and ran out the door. He tried to push it shut but Bloodstrike slammed against it. The Avengers could hear Modred screaming down the hallway as Bloodstrike chased him swinging the stones on his chains as if they were his Thunderstrike mace.

"We've got to go save Modred. There's no telling what Bloodstrike will do to him." Crystal said.

"But these chains magically resist our powers," Wasp replied.

"I wonder," the Vision said. "She said the chains are proof against the powers that they know of. What about powers we don't even know of?"

"What are you talking about, Vision?" Pulsar asked.

"Certainly the Black Knight might be advanced enough in his Eternal abilities to have eye blasts."

The conversation continued from there but Dane Whitman wasn't listening. He was staring at the manacles on his wrists. He could feel the effects of the Ebony Blade's curse. He felt it driving him mad every moment he was away from the sword. He was doing his best to clamp down on the curse when he felt the blasts come out. The manacles were gone as well as his gauntlets and the sleeves of his chain mail shirt from the elbows down. Without saying a word to his teammates he ran out of the room looking for Bloodstrike.

"Wait, Dane. Free us too," Crystal called after him but he was already gone.

"We'll have to figure a different way out of this," Wasp commented.

"Actually, I think he has shown us the way out," Vision replied.

"What do you mean?"

"They said the manacles were charmed against our powers. So we simply must use powers we don't have."

"How do we use powers we don't even have, Vision?"

"That should be easy, Pulsar. If you would change to your intangible tachyon form, I could demonstrate."

"Okay, but I've already tried that. The manacles are magic, they won't slip through me."

"Yes, but you don't have my powers, so we can use them to free you."

With that solar energy burst forth from the jewel on Vision's forehead and shattered the manacles on Pulsar's wrists.

"And now you can use your powers to free the rest of us, although you can be a little more delicate than I was. The rest of us don't have an intangible tachyon form."

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The Black Knight raced down the corridor. Finding Bloodstrike was not that hard as Dane could hear him bellowing, as well as Modred's shouting. When he came upon them Bloodstrike had his hands around Modred's throat and was bashing his head against the floor.

"Eric, stop!" Dane yelled at him as he jumped on his back trying to establish a mental link. It wasn't easy, with Dane suffering from the curse of the Ebony Blade and Bloodstrike, the curse of the Executioner's axe, but eventually he broke through. Modred, in the meantime, had fallen into unconsciousness and Dane had to check his pulse to be sure he was still alive. Just then Pulsar flew in.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"He's lucky to be alive. Assemble the team. We're going after the Cabal."

Next Issue: With all these magical villains around can Dr. Strange be far behind?

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe: The Vision was dismantled in West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) #42-45. The Scarlet Witch lost her children in West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) #51-52. In the Marvel Universe she recovered in West Coast Avengers (Vol. 2) #60-62.

Dr. Druid was elected Avengers Chairman in Avengers #294. Black Knight was thrown out of the quinjet in Avengers #297.


	12. Battle of Bleecker Street

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #12**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision, The Wasp_

_Scarlet Witch, Dr. Druid_

In the communications room of Avengers Tower, a gateway of swirling energy opened up and six Avengers came through; the leader carrying the unconscious form of Sean Dolan, the Vision had the beaten Modred over his shoulder.

"Is this where they came?" asked the Wasp.

"I don't know. I brought us here to regroup," answered the Black Knight as he set Sean Dolan in a chair.

"Actually the intruder alarm has been set off. If I can just find the right camera to access, I can find out if it was them," the Vision said as he set Modred down.

"It was the Cabal," Dane replied.

"Then I'll get the cameras to show us what they were after."

"No need for that," Dane realized. "They were after the skull and hand of Seth. Remember, they're after magic items. Those remains must hold some power."

Meanwhile Bloodstrike, extremely agitated from the absence of his cursed axe, was shaking and sweating profusely. Suddenly he perked up and ran out of the room.

"Where's he going?" Crystal asked.

"He senses the Executioner's Axe. I can sense the Ebony Blade but I can't locate it. He must be operating on a more primal level. Pulsar, follow him."

At the speed of light Pulsar sped out of the tower and spied the crater in the street where Bloodstrike had leapt from the tower. From there she could see him racing down the street. She followed him through the town. He zigzagged around city blocks as if he were trying to head directly to his goal. A few times he was able to cut across a block when it was a park or a lot. Eventually he came to a stop in the middle of a street.

"Pulsar, to Black Knight, are you there, Dane?" she spoke through her Avengers communicard.

"Black Knight here. What's going on, Monica?"

"He's come to a stop in the middle of the street here. He's looking around frantically as if the axe should be here but it's not."

"Stay with him. We're on our way in a skycar, now. Arg! Keep us updated on any changes." Dane was also suffering from the absence of his cursed weapon, the Ebony Blade.

"It just got a little weirder. Bloodstrike just jumped up and grabbed something. Now he's hanging in the air like he's holding a giant invisible beach ball."

"We're almost there. I think know what's significant about that location."

"Hurry up. He looks like he's trying to squeeze the beach ball with all his might."

"We're here. I can see the whole scene. These guys are after magic items and you're right in front of Dr. Strange's house. I bet there're already battles going on here that we can't even see. Vision, I want you to coordinate with the police and evacuate the immediate area. Crystal, Wasp, I want – ah!"

Just then Bloodstrike burst the invisible sphere and fell to the street, a dozen magic items falling with him, including the Ebony Blade, the Executioner's Axe, the Skull and Hand of Seth, as well as a few others. Four members of the Cabal, who were unveiled as floating in the air nearby, recoiled from the sudden burst. Also major damage to Dr. Strange's house was now revealed.

Bloodstrike quickly retrieved his axe and mace and the Ebony Blade magically appeared in the Black Knight's hands.

"Avengers Assemble!" he yelled as he leapt out of the skycar down to Bleaker Street below.

The four sorcerers, Dr. Druid, Kaluu, Count di Cagliostro, and Baron Mordo prepared to fight.

"Hold 'em here," Dr. Druid yelled. "We can't let them interfere inside."

"We don't need you to tell us what to do," Mordo replied.

"I know what I need to do," Kaluu added.

"What if I'm going to help inside, anyways?" Pulsar challenged, changing to a beam of light.

"Then we'll stop you," Count di Cagliostro countered. With a wave of his hand her beam of light form started traveling in circles. "You're caught in a tube of force looped back on itself, sort of a magical fiber-optic cable. And it's small enough that if you change back to your physical form you'll be crushed to death."

"I'll get this one," Wasp called, flying towards Kaluu.

"Not that easy, I'm afraid," he replied. "A simple sphere of force will contain you. You know, the way your little stings light up the sphere makes it look like I've caught a firefly in a jar."

Crystal started to whip up the wind in the area but Baron Mordo cast his own spell to control them and they started a battle of wills to be in command of the air currents.

Dr. Druid, with a wave of his hands, called forth elemental beasts out of the surrounding area. Two man-like shapes, made of asphalt, arose out of the street; two, made of concrete, arose from the sidewalks on either side of the street; two, made of bricks, stepped out of nearby walls; and two wooden ones formed out trees along the sidewalk.

Black Knight and Bloodstrike found themselves surrounded by these golems and, back-to-back, began to fight them. Their supernatural weapons left obvious wounds on the creatures but didn't seem to impair them at all.

"Try to chop off their limbs, Eric. Blows to their bodies don't affect them."

Bloodstrike, however, was too berserk in his fighting style and continued to madly attack the creatures.

Kaluu, now that he had the Wasp captured, launched his spells at the Black Knight. Dane now had to block the incoming spells with his sword and was unable to effectively attack the elementals.

Count di Cagliostro was about to join Kaluu in his attack when he saw the Vision approaching Dr. Druid from behind. He summoned the Crimson Bands of Cytorrax and the Vision was bound, spread-eagle, in mid-air.

Crystal, experiencing a stalemate in her battle with Baron Mordo, let him take control of the winds and, using her elemental powers, took control of the wood elementals. The wood golems turned on Dr. Druid and, taking him by surprise, seized him.

But now the winds were out of her control and she was the only one left in the skycar. She turned her attention to the controls as the wind buffeted it about.

Dr. Druid withdrew the force animating the wooden creatures and found himself pined by the resulting shape of the trees.

Now that he had turned his attention from the elementals and the two wood creatures weren't in the battle. Bloodstrike was able to crush one of the brick beasts.

The Vision, who was unable to intangibly escape through the magic bands holding him, blasted Baron Mordo with a solar beam from the jewel on his forehead. Crystal was now able to calm the winds enough for her to land the skycar.

Pulsar appeared beside Count di Cagliostro and hit him with concussive bursts from her hands.

"I may have been trapped in my light form and unable to change into my physical form. But there was nothing stopping me from escaping in my tachyon form," she laughed at him.

Kaluu, seeing that he was the only one left, hurled the globe imprisoning the Wasp at Crystal who was approaching him and vanished with a quick wave of his hands. Crystal took the full brunt of the globe in her gut as she feared deflecting it would endanger its prisoner.

Black Knight and Bloodstrike were now able to dispatch the remaining elementals. With no more enemies left, Dane was able to use his sword to free Vision and the Wasp. He picked up one of the magic items that the cabal had been using.

"Would you look at this? They had the Ebony Dagger."

"What's that?" Pulsar asked.

"It's the mate to the Ebony Blade. They were both made by Merlin. The original Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, was allegedly immune to any weapon except the Ebony Dagger. It's how he was finally killed. I don't know why but the Ebony Blade hasn't given me any such immunity, so I don't know what effect the dagger would have on me. I'll have to do some experiments to find out, some very careful experiments, of course."

"I wonder what this item is," Crystal asked as she picked one up.

"That is the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor's enemies have used it on occasion." Vision answered.

"Please, don't open it," Wasp warned her. "The last time that was opened the world was plunged into an ice age and I don't have any of my furs-Hey!"

Dr. Druid had been warping the wood holding him and escaped the trees when Wasp gave a warning shout. Pulsar blasted him and Bloodstrike grabbed him by the upper arms. The Avengers gathered around him.

"What does the Cabal want with all these items? I know they're siphoning power from them, but what do they plan to do with this power? Surely, they have a more precise purpose that just controlling the world."

"You have always been weak," Dr. Druid answered. "I'll never tell you anything." Then his voice started sounding strange. "You and this brute will let me go. You will gather all the items and return them to me."

"Sorry, Doc," Dane said. "I've gained the powers of an Eternal since you last controlled me. Your mind control tricks won't work on me, anymore."

Suddenly a blue clad figure flew into the group, scattering them. The bruised and bloody figure of Dr. Strange lay on the ground among them.

"Ha, ha," Morgan le Fay laughed at them as she and five figures, the rest of the Cabal, including Kaluu and a beaten Modred, floated above them. With them were several items from Dr. Strange's sanctum. Dane recognized the Darkhold and the Orb of Agamotto among them. "After looting Strange's house we now have enough power for our purposes. We will soon meet again and then, you will be bowing before us."

Then they disappeared taking the items from the street with them.

Dr. Druid tried to join them but Bloodstrike savagely held on to him.

"Looks like they got everything but the Ebony Blade and Bloodstrike's weapons." Dane noticed. "I guess they had enough that they didn't want to try to wrest them from our control. But they left Druid, Mordo, and Cagliostro behind. Morgan doesn't have any use for failure."

"Dane-" a weak voice called out.

"Stephen, don't try to move-"

"No… just… stop them…Chthon" Then he was silent.

Dane checked his pulse.

"He's gone. Morgan was right about one thing. We'll meet again soon but we won't be bowing. We'll be showing them why we're called the Avengers."

Next Issue: The Knights of Wundagore!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe: The Avengers' skycar was shown in Avengers "349 and very few other places

The Casket of Ancient Winters was opened in Thor #348.

Sir Percy's death was shown in Black Knight #1. It was shown that Merlin made the Ebony Blade and Ebony Dagger in Avengers Annual #22.


	13. Black Magic

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #13** **Black Magic**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision_

_The Wasp, Scarlet Witch _

The Avengers quinjet sped over the skies of Europe. Seated therein were six of the Avengers, the Earth's mightiest heroes. The current leader of the team sat at the controls flying the craft. He was Dane Whitman, aka the Black Knight. Wielder of the cursed Ebony Blade, he had been psychically linked to the Eternal Sersi as her Gann Josin, the Eternals' version of a husband. His brain began to change to match hers and after she went insane and died, it stayed that way. He was now slowly coming into possession of the powers of an Eternal. He had it rough lately. He hadn't worn his helmet since it had been crushed by Seth and the sleeves of his chain mail shirt were tattered after he had to blast his own wrists. His eyes continually glowed as he tried to control his Eternal power. Now he was leading his team against Morgan le Fay and her Cabal of sorcerers, including an old teammate, Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.

Sitting next to him, assisting his piloting, was the Vision, estranged husband of the Scarlet Witch. They had been separated since he had been rebuilt as an emotionless android after being dismantled by the world's governments. He had been disassembled because he had tried to take over the world even though he had removed the control crystal from his brain that had caused the behavior. Now he had a new body from an alternate reality's Vision but it was too late for their marriage. Now he had to go into battle against her.

Behind them were the Wasp, Pulsar, Crystal, and Bloodstrike. Crystal was growing more and more concerned about the Black Knight. After Sersi's death, she had left her own husband, Pietro Maximoff, the mutant Quicksilver, brother of the Scarlet Witch, to be with him and now she had to watch him deal with his growing Eternal powers, the curse of the Ebony Blade, and the leadership of the Avengers.

They were all concerned about the upcoming battle, all except for Bloodstrike. He had once been the Avenger Thunderstrike, who, given an enchanted mace by Odin, was meant to be Thor's replacement, but he had been possessed by the Bloodaxe of the Executioner, an old enemy of Thor. Dane's telepathy had saved him from insanity but a new personality had set in and now he was the silent, brooding, sometimes-berserk-in-battle, Bloodstrike.

"How do we know where to find the Cabal, Dane?" Crystal asked him, hoping to keep him mind focused.

"Dr. Strange mentioned Chthon just before he died. He's the worst of the Elder Gods from when Earth was first created and is imprisoned under the mountain of Wundagore. Morgan, Modred, and Wanda have all been involved with attempts to free him in the past. Maybe the rest of the Cabal has too, I don't know. With the power they can get from all the magic items they've stolen, I think they're trying to free him again. The Knights of Wundagore have fought Chthon in the past, I'm hoping we can rely on them to aid us now."

"Who are they, again?" Crystal asked.

"According to our files," Pulsar informed them. "They are animals that have been evolved by the High Evolutionary to human form. Thor has had many dealings with them and filed several reports."

"Yes," Dane agreed. "To overcome their beastial instincts, the High Evolutionary instilled a chivalrous code in them. They even have atomic steeds, mechanical horses they fly into battle on, although they're shaped more like just a big saddle than an actual horse. I used to use of them myself."

"I believe that may be them approaching now," the Vision said, pointing to eight figures flying towards them. As they got closer the armored figures could be seen more plainly with their lances on their steeds. Then several of them shot energy blasts from their lances, ripping holes in the quinjet, severely damaging it.

"I don't think they're going to be our allies," Wasp observed.

"They're probably being controlled by the Cabal," Dane guessed as he struggled to keep the quinjet sable. "Pulsar, in your energy form, can you destroy their steeds?"

"I could but they'll fall to their deaths. What if they're innocent pawns?"

"Might I suggest you destroy every other one? Saving their fellows will distract them from attacking us." Vision offered.

"Good idea, I'm on it."

She sped forward as a beam of light, disrupting the fuel cells and circuits of half the knights' steeds. The other half turned to rescue them and, while they were doing so, Pulsar made a point of destroying their lances also.

Meanwhile Dane and Vision were doing their best to control a crash landing of the quinjet. They managed to bring it down safely, near a point where they could see the Cabal getting to work.

"Avengers Assemble!" Dane yelled. "We've got to stop them from freeing Chthon."

The six members of the Cabal were just getting ready to start their summoning.

"Everyone knows their part, right?" Morgan le Fay checked with her group. "Scarlet Witch and Kaluu will open a portal for Chthon to come through. He's a being of immense power so it will have to be a large portal. You'll need to take most of the power we've got for that. Kulan Gath and Master Khan will continue to control the knights and do whatever else is needed to fight the Avengers. Modred and I will help with that until we're needed for the spell to control Chthon where, Modred, you'll stand in for Dr. Druid. You and he were the only was who learned that spell with me. At that point we'll need most of the power for that spell and Wanda and Kaluu will probably be too tired to do much of anything. These spells need to be carefully cast so we can't afford any interruption. Now get to work, here they come."

Before the rest of the Avengers could get there, Pulsar was flying in first as a beam of light. But Morgan was prepared for her with a spell ready. A prism appeared before her. Unable to stop in time she flew through it, separating into the different wavelengths of the spectrum. The shock of having her light form refracted knocked her out and the prism changed her angle of descent so that her physical form crashed into the snow short of her target.

As the rest of the Avengers approached, the knights moved in to block them, drawing their swords and abandoning their broken or overloaded steeds.

The Wasp swept in to attack and was tackled herself by a previously unnoticed knight. Lady Vermin was a knight who, although evolved like the rest, had not been changed into a human form, she had remained in the form of a rat. She had been on the shoulder of another knight and was able to surprise the Wasp.

Bloodstrike rushed into them and faced four by himself. Sir Gator, Lord Tyger, Sir Delphus, and Sir Ram had to use all their skill to deflect his axe and mace blows without having their own swords broken. Unfortunately his attack was so brutal that Dane had to fight beside him to keep him from killing his opponents.

Crystal was faced by Sir Steed and Lady Ursula. She made the snow swirl around them and buffet them but their armor protected them from too much damage.

Vision confronted Lord Anon and Lord Churchill. He made his body intangible and their sword strikes went right through him. Safe from their attacks, Vision was able to knock them out with his solar beams.

Seeing that the Vision was having the least trouble with the knights, Morgan tried to seize him with her magic. Feeling something grabbing at him, Vision, still intangible, slipped into the mountain.

"Sir Ram, Sir Delphis, go back into the mountain complex and find Vision. Find some way to stop him," Morgan ordered.

Wasp, who had been wrestling with Lady Vermin, quickly realized that her diminutive size didn't give her much of an advantage in this case and grew to about a foot tall. This gave her an immediate advantage and she was able to get a hold of Lady Vermin and give her a brief blast to knock her out.

Crystal had added air to the snow she attacking with and now had Sir Steed and Lady Ursula suspended in a blizzardy vortex.

Modred, seeing that all the Avengers were embattled, took the Ebony Dagger from the stash of magic items and crept up behind the Black Knight. Bloodstrike, facing only two knights now, easily swept them aside with a blow of his mace. Then he turned and saw Modred sneaking up on the Black Knight. Since he felt a special rapport with the one who had telepathically calmed him, this enraged him and he leapt at Modred. He brought his axe down on the Ebony Dagger and slashed through it.

There was a small explosion and both Bloodstrike and Modred were blown back. Since this happened behind Dane, he was thrown face first into the snow. He turned over to see Bloodstrike, sitting on the ground, staring at a new notch in his axe. Modred was on the ground screaming in pain, holding his stump of an arm where his right hand used to be.

"You fool!" Morgan yelled. "How are you going to cast the spell with me with only one hand?"

Just then the gate Scarlet Witch and Kaluu had been working on opened and Chthon stepped out into our world. He was cloaked in shadows even though he was standing fifty feet tall. The whole region suddenly seemed darker as though enshrouded in a haze and his evil laugh chilled everyone to the bone.

Morgan desperately tried to cast the spell to control him on her own but it wasn't enough. Sensing her attempts Chthon stepped forward, crushing Kulan Gath underfoot, and grabbed her in his massive fist. He ruthlessly squeezed the life out of her and dropped her body into his gaping mouth.

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The Vision had accidentally discovered the complex inside Mount Wundagore. He knew there was a battle raging outside that he should be part of but there was nothing he could do against magic. Perhaps he could find something inside the mountain to fight the Cabal. In his intangible state he wandered from floor to floor, examining machinery. He was aware that he was setting off intruder alarms but since he was insubstantial he didn't concern himself with it.

Eventually Sir Ram and Sir Delphis tracked him down in one chamber. They attacked him with swords but he didn't feel it and just ignored them. Suddenly they stopped their assault.

"Aren't you the Avenger known as the Vision?" Sir Ram asked him.

"Yes, I am. Do you not remember why you are attacking me?"

"No, I don't remember you even being here."

"That is a sign that the battle outside goes well but they still may need us. Tell me, what does this machine do?"

"That is the evolving machine. Our lord uses it to change us from animals to the men you see before you." Sir Delphis answered him.

"Interesting, can it be used to de-evolve you, also?"

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"Avengers Attack!"

The Avengers, the Cabal, and the Knights of Wundagore had stopped fighting each other and they all now opposed Chthon.

Chthon, evidently considered the Cabal the bigger threat because he pointed a finger at Mister Khan and a black beam hit him in the chest. He mouthed a silent scream, writhing in pain, as he slowly melted before them.

"Hit him hard, Avengers," Dane yelled. "Somehow we've got to stop him."

He felt, rather than saw, a blur move past him but so much was going on that he didn't really give it a second thought. Crystal was pounding Chthon with wind gusts, Wasp was stinging him and he probably didn't even notice it. Bloodstrike hit him in the leg with his axe and Chthon kicked him hard. Bloodstrike went flying back about fifty yards knocking over a copse of trees. Sir Gator, Lord Tyger, Lady Ursula, and Sir Steed had all recovered enough to attack with their swords but, without their power lances, they were ineffective.

Kaluu, the last member of the Cabal, turned to flee but Chthon reached out to him. Sir Steed saw a mark on Chthon's leg where Bloodstrike had hit him and, taking it to be a wound, stabbed into it with his sword. Chthon instantly turned his attention to him and stomped Sir Steed into the ground. Kaluu, using his magic arts to flee, vanished.

Then Chthon stopped and looked around. He spotted Vision, Sir Ram, and Sir Delphis with the evolving machine mounted on an atomic steed. They were using the machine on him.

"This machine will de-evolve you, Chthon," Vision told him. "Soon you will be a threat no more."

Chthon laughed. "**I cannot de-evolve. I never evolved. Your machine has no effect on me.**"

Ignoring them Chthon turned to the Black Knight. Dane lifted his sword just in time to deflect a spell. He felt the energy from the spell blow past him as the Ebony Blade disrupted it. Then he was levitated up before Chthon whom he felt crushing him. Relying on his Eternal-given power to survive while being crushed, he swung his sword around tying to disrupt this spell too. As the spell engulfed him he could not slice through it on all sides. Slowly he was being smashed.

But then abruptly the spell stopped and Dane was lowered to the ground. Chthon was now ignoring all of them and staring up into space. Then he slowly faded away, vanishing from the mountainside.

"Anybody know what's going on here?" Dane asked, still ready for Chthon's next attack.

"I believe I can answer that," Vision replied. "When we found we couldn't de-evolve him, we tried something different. We switched the machine to evolve him."

"We gambled that we were giving him more power," Sir Ram explained. "But at the same time we thought evolution might bring him enlightenment."

"Even if he wasn't suddenly enlightened," Sir Delphis added. "He at least has now moved beyond caring about the Earth."

"That was quite a gamble you took there," Dane said. "I just hope it did bring him enlightenment and that we don't have to face a more powerful Chthon someday."

Next Issue: The Eternals!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Sir Steed died in Quicksilver #1

The Black Knight was made Sersi's Gann Josin in Avengers #361.

The Beast appropriated an atomic steed in Avengers #187. The Black Knight started using it in Avengers #259.

Vision was dismantled in West Coast Avengers #43. He was given the body of an alternate version of himself in Avengers #360.

Thunderstrike was possessed by the Bloodaxe in issue #1 of this series.

The Knights of Wundagore used in this issue were first seen in Quicksilver #1, most weren't introduced until Quicksilver #2.


	14. The Eternal Struggle

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #14** **The Eternal Struggle**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar,_

_Bloodstrike, Vision_

_The Wasp, Gilgamesh_

"I think another day of bed rest and she'll be fine."

Sir Delphis was talking about the Avenger, Pulsar, who was lying in the infirmary of Mount Wundagore.

"I feel fine," she said. "If you need me-"

"A day of bed rest will suit you just fine," the Black Knight interrupted. "We'll call it doctor's orders. Trust me, all of us could use a day of bed rest. How's Modred doing?"

Modred, who had lost a hand while fighting the Avengers, was unconscious in the next bed over. There were restraints keeping him in the bed.

"Physically, he's fine, although he might have trouble playing the violin again. What I'm worried about is his head. In his right mind, he was originally one of the good guys. He only became a villain when he was under someone's mental control. Lately the line's gotten pretty blurred. I'm not ever sure he's sane at this point."

"But you'll be able to take care of him here?" Dane asked the highly evolved dolphin.

"Yes, let's move into the hallway, so our reluctant patient can get her rest." They both glanced at Pulsar as they left.

"The Lord High Evolutionary," Sir Delphis continued. "will be able to heal him. But it will take a great deal of time."

"I'm confident he's in good hands," Dane was interrupted by a beeping from his Avengers communicard. "Hey, Jan," he spoke into the card. "What's up?"

"We're getting a distress call from the Eternals," her voice came through the card. "Ikaris is asking for our help."

"I'll be right there." He put his card away and turned to Sir Delphis. "Like I said, we could all use a day of rest. Can you show me the quickest way to the quinjet?"

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Dane Whitman took a seat at the helm of the quinjet. Ikaris, the leader of the Eternals, appeared on a screen before him. He looked bruised and battered.

"This is the Black Knight. What's the trouble?" The last time they had met, Ikaris had forced him to become Sersi's Gann Josin.

"It's the Forgotten One, your old teammate, Gilgamesh. The Mahd W'yry is upon him. It makes sense, he's the oldest of all of us. He's gone insane; he's destroying Olympia, and he's too powerful for us. We can't stop him."

"We're on our way." Even though Dane had never worked with Gilgamesh, he was still an Avenger.

"I'll leave the signal open. Just home in on it and you should be able to get here."

Dane turned to his fellow Avengers. "Is this thing ready to fly?"

"Yes," Vision answered him. "Several of the knights helped me repair it."

"Wait, we can't leave Monica behind." Wasp said referring to Pulsar in the infirmary.

"Don't worry about her," Dane said. "Of all the Avengers, she can handle her own transportation."

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Less than thirty minutes later the quinjet sped over the Eternal city of Olympia and landed in a plaza near where they could see the battle raging. Ikaris hurried over and met them as they exited.

"It came upon him suddenly. We've been fighting for hours now and we just can't stop him."

"We'll do what we can to help. Once an Avenger, always an Avenger." Dane told him.

"Wait a minute!" Ikaris pulled Dane around to face him. "Dane Whitman, what's become of you?"

"What do you mean?"

But before Ikaris could answer him, Gilgamesh landed beside them having leapt from the fight with the Eternals. With a powerful blow of his hand, he knocked them both off their feet.

His eyes glowing madly with the power of an Eternal, he turned to grab the Vision who turned intangible to escape him. Wasp shrunk down and flew up to get out of his reach and zapped him to no avail. With her elemental powers, Crystal pulled up the stones he had shattered with his landing to form a wall between them. She caused the wall to strike him repeatedly.

Gilgamesh turned from the stone wall to the next Avenger and tackled Bloodstrike. Bloodstrike battered him with his fists and Gilgamesh returned the pummeling, blow for blow.

Wasp shrunk down to a smaller than usual size and sped into his ear where she blasted him over and over again from the inside. Gilgamesh slapped his ear with his cupped hand and she fell out unconscious. Bloodstrike, meanwhile, drew back his mace and clocked Gilgamesh across the side of his head. He was knocked across the plaza and a marble building collapsed on him.

Cautiously the Avengers crossed the square to where there was now a pile of rubble. The rest of the Eternals, Thena, Cybele, Phastos, Makkari, and Sprite, joined them. They looked beat-up and hurt.

"Do you think he's dead?" Crystal asked.

"Eternals can't die," Thena answered her. "They have complete control over their physical state. Once we get over our exhaustion we will be able to heal easily. But what that means for the Forgotten One in his mental state is anyone's guess."

Just then Gilgamesh rose from the wreckage and with his eyes blasted Bloodstrike causing more destruction as he was knocked back.

Makkari, with his super-speed, was the first to attack but Gilgamesh was fast enough to strike him down. He then leapt into the midst of them, scattering them with blows from his fists.

He grabbed Dane by the front of his chain mail shirt and blasted him with his eyes. Dane tried to blast back with his own eyes but was quickly overpowered. In a panic he flailed about with his sword, it bit into Gilgamesh's side. However, instead of cutting him, his body seemed to distort, twisting into the blade. He stopped blasting and started screaming in pain. Still stunned, Dane tried to pull the weapon away but Gilgamesh was pulled along with it as he continued to twist and deform, his body disappearing into the Ebony Blade. Shortly there was nothing left of him.

Then Dane started screaming. Like a man possessed, he began to hack at the debris. Stroke after stroke, he chopped away at the marble remains.

"What happened?" Wasp asked.

"I would surmise that with the Eternals' ability to control their bodies," the Vision theorized. "The line between matter and energy is thinner for them. Since the Ebony Blade can absorb energy, Gilgamesh was absorbed into it."

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Crystal asked as she watched Dane now just cutting into the ground.

"I have no idea if Gilgamesh is even still alive. As for the Black Knight, he suffers from the sword's curse," Vision added. "The sword is most likely stronger now with Gilgamesh's energy added to it. I believe he will regain control after a while."

Just then Dane did stop. He sank to his knees, sobbing. Crystal ran to comfort him.

"It's getting harder and harder to control," he told her.

"Don't worry about it," she comforted him. "You don't have to do it alone. We'll find a way to lift the curse."

With her help he rose to his feet and turned back to the rest of the team.

"Oh crud," he murmured.

"What is it?" she asked. She followed his gaze and behind the Vision and the Wasp she could see the Eternals approaching. All six of them had glowing red eyes.

They easily knocked aside those two Avengers and Makkari sped in and knocked out Crystal before she could do anything.

Then they were on Dane. The remains of his shirt were ripped away. He was held spread eagle as they tried to rend him limb from limb. He resisted with all his Eternal might.

"No!" he yelled. "I will not kill all of you, too!"

But then, just as Phastos grabbed his head and pulled it back, Sprite yanked the Ebony Blade out of his hand. Dane screamed and completely lost control. He slammed Thena and Cybele, who each had one of his arms, into Ikaris, who had been in front of him.

He summoned the sword back to him and turned to Phastos. Phastos attacked him with his hammer. Dane sliced through the hammer and stabbed the Eternal, pushing it in to the hilt. Like Gilgamesh before him, he too, was drawn into the blade.

Makkari ran in, raining fists on him. Even more out of control than before, Dane drew back his sword but Sprite grabbed a hold of his arm. Dane dropped his elbow to the ground, catching Sprite in the middle. He stabbed him and then, while Sprite was being sucked into the weapon, turned and cut into Makkari. Both them together were sucked into the sword.

Dane, his eyes blazing, turned to Ikaris, Thena, and Cybele when Vision stepped in between them.

"Do not do this, Dane Whitman," he pleaded. "You know this is wrong. This is the curse acting, not you. You must overcome it."

Vision knew the Ebony Blade would slice through his diamond hard density. He wasn't sure how it would affect his intangible form but he was ready to switch to it as his best defense. Currently, he was at normal density, hoping to shock the Black Knight into sanity. The Black Knight paused for a second, still holding his sword up, trying to control himself. Then, caught by surprise, three pairs of eye blasts struck the Vision from behind. He collapsed forward, parts of his plastic body melted from the energy.

Enraged the Black Knight succumbed to the curse. He leapt forward and his sword made quick work of the three remaining Eternals. Consumed by the curse, with no one to stop him, he then proceeded to destroy building after building. Psychically linked to him, Bloodstrike joined him and together, they demolished the city of Eternals.

Next Issue: Our heroes get a rest.

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe: Ikaris made the Black Knight Sersi's Gann Josin in Avengers #361.

The idea of Eternals having a thin line between matter and energy was inspired by Avengers #310.


	15. Evil Mastery

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #15** **Evil Mastery**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar_

_Bloodstrike, Vision, The Wasp_

"So, the prodigal children have returned."

High above the Earth, two figures approached in silence until one finally spoke.

"We're not here to be your lackeys again. We're here as equals this time."

"Yet you've come back to me."

"We've come to you because we can't do it on our own. I don't even think we can do it with just you. But you're a start."

"So how do you want it to be?"

Finally the other figure spoke. "We want our vengeance!"

"You shall have it, my dear; both of you will."

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A beam of light sped across the skies of Baton Rouge. Circling around a house it changed into a beam of tachyons and entered the house. Once inside it coalesced into Monica Rambeau, the Avenger known as Pulsar. An elderly woman working in the kitchen nearly dropped a pot of stew when her daughter materialized before her.

"Lan' sakes, chil'," she cried. "You'll give your poor ol' mother a heart attack one of these days."

"Sorry, Mama," she apologized. "You know I don't like being seen visiting you. So I always approach invisibly."

"Maybe in the future, you could jus' ring the doorbell. An' when we don' see anyone there, we'll know it's you."

"I'll try to give you more warning next time, Mama."

An aged man entered the kitchen, leaning heavily on a cane.

"Everything okay in here?" he asked. "I thought heard…Monica! Oh, it's good to see you, dear."

"It's good you see you too, Papa. How's the new house."

"Oh, it's alright, I guess. I know you worked hard to get us set up here after the hurricane, but I want to go home. I don' know nobody here. There's nothing to do."

"I know, Papa. Maybe after they've rebuilt New Orleans a bit you can go back. You know the old neighborhood was demolished and none of your friends are there, anyways."

"I know, I know. I jus' wish there was something to do here."

He then slowly walked out of the kitchen, again leaning on his cane.

"Is he alright, Mama? I've never seen him look so old before."

"Retirement was hard on him. An' fleein' the hurricane was even worse. Now it's like watchin' a slow decline. I honestly don' know how much longer he's going to live."

She started to cry and Monica enveloped her in a hug.

"Chil', you don' 'spose you could stop being a 'Venger an' come live at home. Jus' to make his last days happier."

"Oh, Mama, I wish I could. The Avengers are going through some tough times right now, and besides, there's a man I think I'm falling in love with…"

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In the infirmary of Avengers Tower, Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, and his girlfriend, the Inhuman Crystal, stood over their synthezoid teammate, the Vision, who was encased in a tube of fluids. Bloodstrike, silent as ever, stood in the background.

"He's going to be fine," the Black Knight told her. "He's healing at a normal rate and should be back to his old self in no time."

"Now we just need to take care of you."

"I don't know what happened, Crys. I killed the Eternals and left Olympia in ruins."

"It wasn't you that did it. It was the sword and its curse, not you. What do you know about the curse?"

"I've been under the curse twice before. Last time, I became an extension of the sword itself. I was rigid and immobile, I even had sharp edges that would cut people. When I was cursed before that, I was in the crusades and it made me a bloodthirsty warrior."

"That sounds like what you were like in Olympia."

"Yes, but it's different. That was a momentary thing. I don't have any bloodthirsty urges right now. I mean I can feel that I'm under the curse; I just can't tell what form the curse has taken."

"How were you cured before?"

"Dr. Strange helped me both times. The first time we put the sword in the Brazier of Truth, but that shattered the brazier. The second time the spirit of Sir Percy of Skandia intervened."

"I don't think we can depend on Sir Percy to rise from the dead whenever we need him. And unfortunately Dr. Strange recently died at the hands of the Cabal."

"At least they won't cause anymore trouble."

"I talked with Starfox on Titan," she told him. "They don't know anything about the Mahd W'yry. It seems that's not something that's plagued the Eternals of Titan. He did say you could come there for an examination."

"No, it sounds like they can't help me. Besides, I don't want to go anywhere near Eternals for a while yet. For all we know I might go kill them all. We don't need one more disaster to add to our credit."

"I wouldn't call it a series of disasters. We stopped Chthon from destroying the world. We prevented the Cabal from reaching their goals. We rescued Sean Dolan from them, too. We chased off Ultron. We rescued Jan from Dr. Pym. We stopped the Plodex from taking Atlantis and we stopped Seth. I think we've been quite successful."

"I don't think we've done that well. We only stopped Chthon from caring about the Earth. We don't know if he's reformed or just moved on to bigger things, which he may now have the power to do. We only stopped the Cabal because Chthon killed most of them and Dr. Strange died in the process. For all we know Sean was only captured by the Cabal because I took the sword away from him. Otherwise, he might have stopped the Cabal single-handedly before they even got anywhere. Ultron said he's going to come back when we're at our weakest. Hank Pym escaped. We stopped the Plodex only by destroying all of them and the Invisible Woman too. Hercules is only the latest to leave under bad circumstances. We haven't been able to help Bloodstrike. And then there was Sersi's death…"

"I think you're just looking on the dark side of all we've done lately. Maybe you'd feel better if you fixed your costume. It's still in rags from the Eternals ripping it apart."

Dane looked down at what was left of his costume. All that was there was the chain mail pants and his boots. With his Eternal might, he thought, he really didn't need to wear chain mail anymore. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He had the powers of an Eternal because his brainwaves had been changed to match Sersi's and she was an expert at transmutations. His body was bathed in energy and suddenly he had a new costume made out of black leather.

"There you go. I bet you feel better now." She reached up and kissed him. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to free you from this curse."

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Janet Van Dyn, aka the Wasp, was enjoying herself, walking through the streets of New Amsterdam. She had a cappuccino in one hand and was heading towards her next boutique. She had already visited several and made many purchases. Experience had taught her long ago to have her packages delivered rather than carry them herself.

In fact, as she was walking along now, she suddenly heard a buzz saw-like noise behind her. Ditching her drink and the new outfit she was wearing, she shrank down to wasp size and flew up into the air.

She turned to see Whirlwind behind her and immediately dodged several shurikans he threw her way. She changed her size to about a foot tall, the largest she could get and still have wings, so she could be heard better by the surrounding crowd.

"Clear the area," she yelled. "This is Avengers' business."

Since she was now a larger target, she went on the offensive and dived in to punch Whirlwind. He easily dodged out of the way and she led him towards a less crowded portion of the sidewalk.

He chased after her trying to catch her with the buzz saws on his wrists. She shrank back down but still had trouble avoiding him. She then flew up to gain some altitude, making it harder for him to reach her.

So Whirlwind spun around creating a vortex to pull her back down. As he was at the center of the vortex, targeting him was much easier now. She let him pull her in, flying towards him, in fact, blasting him into unconsciousness with her bio-stings.

He fell to the ground and she landed beside him, growing to full size.

"You never were tough enough to get the revenge you wanted," she told his comatose form.

"He may not be tough enough, but we plan to take him with us, anyway."

She looked up and saw Powderkeg, Rhino, and Quicksand standing before her. Before they could move she shrank back down to wasp size and flew up above them.

"Uh-oh, I don't know that I can handle three villains at once. Time to call in the cavalry." She pulled out her Avengers communicard to call for help but one of Quicksand's sand tentacles lashed out and destroyed the card.

"That's not allowed, dearie. We don't want to fight your whole team, just yet. We just want Whirlwind."

Oops, Wasp thought, I guess I should pay attention to what's going on here.

"Well, you can't have him," she told them as she zapped Rhino a few times as he tried to pick up the body. "I beat him fair and square, so I get to keep him."

The Rhino chased after her and she led him along, dodging up at the last minute. His horn ended up buried in Quicksand's chest.

"Hey, you idiot," she yelled at him. "Why don't you watch what you're doing?" She pulled herself off the horn and struck him across the face. Rhino struck back at her while Wasp attacked Powderkeg.

She zapped him a few times and then dodged as his fist came down and struck a car instead of her. The shockwave from the explosion his fist made knocked her around but she was still able to zap him and dodge out of the way.

"Hey, you two," he called to his teammates. "How about you play later and give me a hand here."

Rhino and Quicksand sneered at each other and attacked the Wasp. She evaded Rhino without difficulty but Quicksand created a small sandstorm that she was caught in.

She knew they would kill her instantly if she grew to full size but she couldn't survive the storm at her small size. Suddenly the sandstorm blew away as quickly as it appeared.

"Hey, who did that?" Quicksand asked.

"That would be me," a voice called out from the street. "The Avengers' resident elemental."

There in the street, exiting an Avengers skycar, were the Black Knight, Crystal, and Bloodstrike.

"Thank goodness you're here," Wasp said as she flew over to join them. "I couldn't call for help because they destroyed my card."

"An alert is sounded at the tower whenever a card is destroyed. We immediately get a satellite photo of that event," Dane told her as they prepared to face the villains.

"Hold, my Masters of Evil," another voice called out. They looked up and on a nearby rooftop, about two stories up, stood a masculine figure, draped in red robes and a red hood. "Let them have Whirlwind. He is too unreliable and redundant also, besides we are not ready for a confrontation yet."

The villains fled and the Avengers started after them but Dane stopped them.

"Wait, forget them. He's the one we want." He pointed to the rooftop where the scarlet figure had moved away from the edge and disappeared from their view. Dane and Wasp flew up to the rooftop and were soon joined by Crystal and Bloodstrike in the skycar.

"I just heard from Pulsar and Vision," Crystal told them. "They're both almost here to help the search."

"Good, I'd like to find this new Crimson Cowl," Dane responded. "I can't find him telepathically so let's start searching."

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Pulsar flew into the window of the office of Derek Freedman, the Avengers' liaison with Interpol and alit in front of his desk.

"I'll never get used to you flying in like that," he told her.

"Sorry, it's the easiest way for me to travel. What do you guys know about this new Masters of Evil?"

"Not much really. Intelligence indicated a new group of super-terrorists forming, but until now, we didn't know who was involved or what they were calling themselves."

"And you have no clue who this new Crimson Cowl is?"

"No, we didn't know who was behind it. You guys didn't find anything more?"

"We searched extensively and all we found was his robes so he could have been anyone in the area. Or he could have teleported away."

"Hey, do you want to get together for dinner? We can go over the intelligence reports then."

"I'm sorry, Derek, but I think we should keep our relationship on a professional level. Unfortunately, there's someone else I'm interested in."

Next Issue: Whatever happened to Hercules?

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Dane fell under the curse of the Ebony Blade, first when he first got the sword in Marvel Superheroes #17, then in Avengers # 293. He was first cured in Dr. Strange, Vol.2 #69, then in Black Knight #4.


	16. Unnatural Selection

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #16** **Unnatural Selection**

_Hercules, Deathcry, Beast_

Hank McCoy bounded towards the quinjet that had just landed on the short runway at the Muir Island Research Station. He was always pleased to see any of his fellow Avengers and he intended to tackle whoever opened the hatch. However, Hercules was not moved so easily and the Beast ended up merely clinging to him.

"Greetings, Hank McCoy. This be more of a welcome than I didst expect." Hercules picked him up by the scruff of his neck and held him up like a kitten.

"'Tis the customary Avenger salutation, I assure you."

"I do not believe thou dost know one of our newer teammates, Deathcry of the Shi'ar." Hercules set the Beast down in front of her as he introduced them.

"Ah, my dear lady, as one furry Avenger to another, it is gratifying to make thine acquaintance. And I shall have you know that whatsoever our friend Hercules has told you about me is unqualified veracity." He bowed before her and kissed her hand as he addressed her.

"You are quite the charmer, Mr. McCoy, but I am feathered, not furry. I assume you do this to throw your enemies off guard?"

"My endeavor is to convey delight to the hearts of all, be they friend or foe. And I do express regret for the erroneous observation; I shall entertain a closer assessment, next time. Now then, to what, may I ask, do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Aye, Deathcry, tell him of the problem we do face."

"There is a situation in the Savage Land. We have need of someone of your scientific expertise."

"Mes amis, you have but to inquire and I am at your disposal. I could make the most of a sabbatical from my investigation of the Legacy Virus. Permit me to grab my toothbrush, and we shall be on our way."

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"…So let me see if I comprehend the circumstances. The Avengers have exposed AIM's involvement in slavery. A large force of Avengers is launching an assault on AIM Island in order to liberate the slaves present. A lesser team will assail their mining operations in the Savage Land to free the slaves there."

"And we shall attack the High Technician," Hercules finished. "So that he may not come to the aid of his allies."

"I still don't understand that part," the Beast asked.

"Most of the Avengers are at AIM Island," Deathcry explained. "There's a small team attacking the mines. They're timing it after the attack on the island starts so we're hoping most of the guards will be drawn away. Our job is to keep the High Technician from coming to help them. We know he's allied with them and has helped them before."

"And my scientific expertise is desirable because…?"

"I anticipate that part of keeping the High Technician distracted may involve sabotage. We were calling in reserves anyways, so I asked to have you on our team."

"Your confidence in me is encouraging, and I shall endeavor to live up to it."

"Terrific, we're landing a ways away from the citadel so there'll be a bit of a hike but that will help maintain the element of surprise. Which reminds me, we need to keep radio silence at all times."

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The three Avengers stood before the citadel of the High Technician, which was built on a rocky outcropping in the jungle.

"Thank goodness, we have arrived," Beast said. "This fur was not designed for traipsing about the jungle. I imagine your plumage isn't, either."

"You can keep my feathers out of your imagination," Deathcry noted. "And we're right on schedule. Our attack will coincide with the other teams." She looked up at the fifty-story tower. "Where should be make our entry? There are several balconies up higher that allow access."

"If our purposes be to make a distraction, why not make our entrance right here?" Hercules asked. He walked up to the wall of the tower and punched a dent into it. He tried to grab a hold and rip it open but couldn't gain any purchase. He repeated this a few times with no success.

"Allow me to lend a helping hand, or claw."

Hank walked up beside him and, with his claws, ripped a small hole in the wall. With this start, Hercules was able to rip away a large portion of the wall, allowing entry.

"I thank thee, Hank" Hercules said. "Every since my father hath stolen my godly might, I hath not been at my peak."

"Fear not, Herc," Beast replied. "What you're missing in strength, you more than make up for in exuberance."

The trio entered the building and heard alarms sounding.

"Aye, we shall be fighting soon," Hercules said and started running down a corridor.

"Hercules, wait!" Deathcry called after him as she and the Beast followed.

"Don't bother trying to stop him," Beast said. "He's showing that exuberance I was talking about."

They caught up to Hercules who had stopped when he ran into a squad of security robots. But when they got there he had already destroyed them all and began to run again.

Again they ran after him and suddenly he came flying past them, crashing into a wall behind them.

"We hath found his true warriors," Hercules cried. "Come, press the attack with me, 'ere I do steal the glory."

"We should certainly not wish that to happen." Hank answered. "Lead on."

He led them into a large chamber where they faced the Saur-Lords, a group of dinosaurs that had been evolved into human form by the High Evolutionary's machines.

"Attack the intruders!" one of them yelled. He looked like he had been a triceratops and he charged them. The Beast leapt over him and Deathcry dodged to one side while Hercules tried to meet him head on. He was pushed through a wall into another chamber.

Deathcry pulled out her over-sized gun and began shooting a pteradactyl-man who had launched himself into the air.

The Beast found himself in the midst of three more Saur-Lords.

"Get him, Bronto," an allosaurus-man yelled. The largest of them ran after the Beast who bounced around to evade him.

"Would it make any difference if I told you were a brachiosaurus and the brontosaurus was a myth?"

Hank had to jump aside as a large fist punched a hole in the wall where he had just been clinging.

"I guess it's not good strategy to tell your opponent he doesn't exist."

He took the opportunity to jump on the back of the pterodactyl-man as he flew past. He tried to steer him into one of the other Saur-Lords but he had thrown off the aerodynamics and they crashed to the ground. Beast rolled away and found himself flat on the ground in front of the allosaurus-man and an ankylasaurus-man.

"I could use a bit of assistance here," he called out. "Anyone, anyone? Bueller?"

"I'm stuck here, myself," Deathcry called out as Bronto was cornering her with her gunshots bouncing off his thick hide.

Hercules, hearing the cries for help, ran back in, still chased by the triceratops-man. He punched the allosaurus-man with all his might. The Saur-Lord shook off the punch while the ankylosaurus-man hit Hercules with the club at the end of his tail and sent him flying through another wall.

"I do believe it's time for a strategic retreat," Beast said as he scampered away. He bounded past Bronto, scooped up Deathcry, and followed Hercules through the new hole in the wall.

"I'll cover our escape," Deathcry announced and with her gun she brought down a portion of the ceiling. "That won't hold them for too long. We haven't distracted them long enough. We need to try to the sabotage route. I have some experience with installations like this. I think we need to go this way."

She led them through a short maze of passageways into another large room, full of equipment. She and Beast each sat down at a computer station.

"Hercules," she told him. "You'll need to hold off the Saur-Lords while we work here."

"Fear not. I shall rejoin the battle and hold off the enemy," Hercules ran back the way they came.

Beast and Deathcry worked at the computers and examined what they could.

"I recognize this," he said. "This is a lab where they evolve the dinosaurs into men."

"Yes, I see what you mean," she said. "But I can't see anyway to wreck the system. It has too much protection built into it."

"I concur. Whoever this High Technician is, he is aptly named, for he is quite technically proficient."

Hercules came back into the room.

"My friends, I do not think I have any more strength. I have led them on a merry chase but they will be back here forthwith."

"We need to delay longer," Deathcry said. "And we haven't been able to damage anything but various walls."

"Be this the room where the dinosaurs are evolved?" Hercules asked. "We could evolve me again, friend Hank. Then I could easily fight off these dino-men."

"Yes," Deathcry said. "We need to be able to fight here for much longer."

"I don't know," Beast replied. "It didn't end too well for you the last time we did this."

"It doesn't look like this is going to end too well this way either," Deathcry told him. "We need to do this. The longer we can stay here, the more slaves that will be freed."

"No," Beast said. "It's too dangerous. As a scientist I can't allow it."

He turned to see Deathcry pointing her gun at him.

"I'm afraid the choice is not yours," she said. "It needs to be done, so do it."

Beast looked at the gun and noticed the look on her face.

"Very well," Beast said after a moment's hesitation. "But I shall you know I'm doing this under protest."

Hank directed Hercules into a small chamber which was covered by a door as he activated the controls. Then they heard the Saur-Lords approaching.

"Now, my purple-plumaged pal," he announced. "That would be the dynamic dinos. Come, let us keep them occupied while our fellow Avenger takes his self-improvement class."

They ran to the doorway but before they got there the triceratops-man charged through it. Beast leapt up and with both feet kicked him on the side of the head, sending him crashing into some machinery.

The allosaurus-man entered next and Deathcry started shooting at him. His hide wasn't as thick as Bronto's and he felt the gunshots. He reached down and with his jaws grabbed the weapon, tearing it from her grasp. Deathcry jumped back as the energy discharge from the damaged gun fried the Saur-Lord.

The ankylasaurus-man came in next and he tried to club Beast with his tail. Beast dodged being careful to not have the club aimed at the evolving machinery.

Bronto entered last and charged at Deathcry. She positioned herself between him and the triceratops-man, ducking under Bronto's legs at the last minute. She managed to trip him up and he fell on his partner. Luckily the triceratops-man was smart enough to turn his head so Bronto wouldn't impale himself on his horns.

They got up and the triceratops-man charged her. She managed to avoid him but he followed her. Beast, while still evading the massive tail-club, saw that she was being maneuvered into Bronto's grasp. He bounced off ankylasaurus' head one last time, which did no harm, and knocked Bronto's arm aside. Deathcry scrambled away safely but Bronto caught Beast with his other hand.

He held him up and Beast poked him in the eye with the claw on his big toe. Bronto screamed and threw the Beast into the evolving machinery.

"Oh my stars and garters," Beast exclaimed as he held his aching head. He looked up to see Hercules standing before him, ten feet tall.

"Ho, ho," he laughed. "Verily, the Prince of Power hath returned, only now I be a king!"

He strode forward and the ankylasaurus-man swung his tail-club at him. Hercules caught it with one hand and lifted. He swung him around by the tail and threw him into Bronto. He pointed at the triceratops-man and a bolt of energy blew him away.

"Come, my fellow Avengers," he picked up Deathcry and Beast, tucked each one under an arm and bounded away. "Let us return to the quinjet. We do be finished here."

"Have we bought the others enough time?" Hank asked.

"The Avengers were never involved in this. This 'twas our goal all along."

"What?"

"He's right," Deathcry told him. "We duped you into this mission so Herc could regain his godly powers. This never had anything to do with AIM."

"Ah, woe is me. I trusted my friends and they led me astray. If you'd just let me off anywhere, I think I'd rather make my own way home."

"Nay, friend Hank," Hercules answered him as they arrived at the quinjet. He carried them both inside. "Thou shalt come with us as we seek our vengeance on those who did us wrong!"

Next Issue: The Inhumans (and I promise the Avengers don't fight them.)

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe: The Saur-Lords, including one named Bronto, first appeared in Captain America #414-417

Hercules was evolved in Avengers Annual #19.


	17. Single Combat

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #17** **Single Combat**

_Black Knight, Crystal, Pulsar_

_Bloodstrike, Vision, Wasp_

_Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver_

"Has there been any sign of the Masters of Evil?" Black Knight asked.

"No sign at all," the Vision told him. "There have been two prison breaks that they potentially could have been behind but nothing definite."

"I searched all of New Amsterdam, like I've done before, but there was no sign of them," Pulsar reported.

"Based on those prisons breaks, Vision," Crystal asked. "Who might we be facing?"

"We already know about Rhino, Quicksand, Powderkeg, and Whirlwind although he's already been captured. The possibilities from the prison breaks are Klaw, Mentallo, Mr. Hyde, Hydro-Man, Flying Tiger, and Jackhammer. They all have previous associations with the Masters of Evil and recently escaped prison. It is possible that some escaped on their own while others were being freed."

"What about Whirlwind?" Wasp asked. "Has Interpol been able to get any information out of him?"

"No, nothing yet—hold on, we're getting a call now. It's for you, Crystal. It's Medusa in Attilan."

Crystal stood behind the Vision so she could see the monitor in the Communications Room of Avengers Tower. Medusa was shown on the screen and Black Bolt could be seen behind her thick red waving hair.

"Medusa, what's going on?"

"Crystal, we've got bad news. Luna's been kidnapped. We think it was Quicksilver."

"Oh, no, can you send Lockjaw for me?"

"We have him standing by, just waiting for you to ask."

As she spoke, Lockjaw, the Inhuman's dog, teleported into the room.

"I'll be right there."

"We'll all be there," Dane said as he put his arms around Crystal to comfort her. "The Avengers stand behind each other in times of need."

"Black Bolt welcomes you and your teammates, Black Knight. We'll see you momentarily."

The Avengers, including Bloodstrike who had been silently standing by, gathered around Lockjaw and he teleported them to Attilan, the City of the Inhumans, in the Blue Area of the moon.

They arrived in Black Bolt's throne room and not only were he and Medusa there, but Gorgon and Karnak as well. Gorgon was a large man with hooves instead of feet and Karnak was a small man with the ability to find any weakness.

Medusa, who spoke for her husband, Black Bolt, because his tremendous powers were triggered by his voice, greeted them.

"Welcome, Avengers. Black Bolt is pained to see you under these circumstances and is ashamed that this could happen in his city."

"We don't blame any of you," Crystal said. "Just tell us what happened."

"Marilla was found unconscious and the baby was missing," Karnak told her. "All she saw was a blur. She'd be here now to tell you but she feels too guilty. We suspect Luna's not on the moon anymore but we have no idea where on Earth she is."

"She's not on Earth," Dane told them. "She's high above the surface of the Earth."

"Can you sense her, Dane?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah, it's getting easier every time. She's on an asteroid in orbit. There're several others there. I think she must be on Magneto's base, Asteroid M."

"Quicksilver joining up with Magneto is not a good sign," Vision said.

"I remember another blur during our fight with Chthon," Dane mused. "And then Wanda was missing. I wonder if she's with them too."

"Whoever's there, we still need to rescue Luna," Crystal cried.

"I agree," Dane said. "The Avengers will mount a rescue operation and attack immediately. Black Bolt, may we have Lockjaw's aid in this?"

"We will allow Lockjaw to help you," Medusa answered. "If we may accompany you. After all, this is ultimately our responsibility."

"Of course you're welcome to join us. Crystal, you and Lockjaw will be responsible only for rescuing Luna. The rest of us will run interference with whoever else is there."

And so, with Crystal, five other Avengers and four other Inhumans crowded around Lockjaw and teleported away; the Black Knight telepathically guiding him.

They arrived in a chamber in the heart of Asteroid M where Magneto, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver, holding Luna, were present.

"The Avengers!" Wanda yelled.

"And the Inhumans," Pietro said. He sped out of the room and returned without Luna. "I've summoned help."

"Avengers Attack!" Dane yelled.

Pulsar flew over to Magneto but he held her still with a wave of his hand.

"Impressive powers you have. So you can change your body to any wavelength along the electromagnetic spectrum? Did you know that I can control that entire spectrum?"

He waved his hand and, involuntarily she flew out of the asteroid and off into space.

Quicksilver raced forward and struck the Black Knight. The blow had no effect due to Dane's eternal might and he hit Quicksilver with an eye blast.

Magneto erected a magnetic field to hold them all motionless but Dane and Black Bolt each tried to over load it and it quickly collapsed.

Scarlet Witch cast one of her spells to hold them but Gorgon stamped his hooves and knocked her off balance. Unfortunately, this also shook the entire asteroid.

At that point several more mutants entered the room, attacking various Avengers or Inhumans. Behind them Blob entered, standing in the doorway. Lockjaw ran up to him and grabbed onto his arm with his jaws to pull him aside.

"Ho, ho, little doggie," he said. "I was told to block the door and not let any of you go find the baby. And when I don't want to move, no one can make me."

Vision heard this and slipped through the walls to find Luna. Lockjaw, however, had his own solution. He teleported down to Earth with the Blob, let him go, and then teleported back without him. However, since Blob had anchored himself to the floor, this took a large section of the floor with him.

Meanwhile Avalanche had been avoiding Bloodstrike's blows by riding on a wave of rock. So Bloodstrike tapped his mace on the ground to summon lightning. After all this stress the ground broke apart and dropped them all into the chamber below. There were more mutants in this chamber and, while some were injured by falling debris, many were still willing to fight.

Vision, having found Luna, returned to the room with the baby in his arms. He saw the Avengers and Inhumans redouble their efforts now that they had more foes to deal with.

But then Black Bolt, who had not fallen with the rest, levitated down from the original room. Locking eyes with Magneto, he pointed to him, then to himself. He brought his fists together and, then, with his hands extended, motioned to clear the room. Magneto, tired of seeing his mutants have to fight and his asteroid destroyed, nodded in agreement. He lifted his arms and everyone was held motionless by his magnetic fields.

"Hear me, everyone," he yelled. "Black Bolt has challenged me to individual combat and I have accepted. If I loose we will return Luna, we will never set foot in Attilan again, and I will surrender myself to the Avengers. But here are my terms. If I win, you will surrender Attilan to me. It will become a haven for mutant-kind. And the Avengers will be barred from that city. I will allow Crystal to visit Luna but she shall be raised as my granddaughter. Agreed?"

"I don't know," Dane said. "What about the rest of your brotherhood, if you loose?"

"Those are my terms. Take them or not."

Black Bolt put his hand on Dane's arm and nodded reassuringly.

"Very well, but I will monitor this fight to make sure it's fair."

"It shall be. We ask everyone to leave the asteroid for their own safety."

"I'm not leaving without Luna," Crystal said.

"Take your daughter back to Attilan and wait there. After all, a daughter should not be separated from her parents." He watched Wanda as she left with the other mutants.

Lockjaw took the Avengers and other Inhumans back to Attilan.

Then the asteroid was empty except for the two combatants. Black Bolt launched himself at Magneto, screaming a rage that had never been voiced before.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Avengers and the Inhumans watched from a distance as Asteroid M shock and rocked with the force of the battle waged within. They had the asteroid on display on a monitor and Dane was telepathically watching to be sure no one interfered.

The asteroid shook and rolled with the force of the battle. As they watched they saw the asteroid slowly tumble out of orbit and carry the two opponents down to Earth.

"Dane," Crystal yelled. "We have to save them."

"I think that any attempt on our part to interfere would mean Black Bolt is the loser and we would be surrendering to Magneto's terms. The problem is that we will need to make sure no one is hurt by the falling asteroid."

"Based on its trajectory," Vision said. "I estimate it will land in an uninhabited part of the Sahara desert in the southern Carthaginian Republic."

"Then all we can do is meet it when it lands to see who survives."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eventually, leaving a long fiery trail the asteroid crashed down into the desert. With Lockjaw's aid the Avengers and the Inhumans teleported to the crash site.

There in the center of a large crater they were appalled at what they saw. Magneto, covered with wounds and blood, stood on the edge of his asteroid, his helmet ripped apart on the ground beside him. At his feet lay the lifeless body of Black Bolt.

Medusa screamed and ran to the body, kneeling over it and crying. Magneto continued to stand there silently thinking.

Black Knight stepped forward. "All right, you've won this battle…"

"Dane," Wasp interrupted him. "I don't think he can hear you."

Looking carefully, they could see a trail of blood coming out of each of his ears.

Eventually, he looked at Dane and said, "I know the Avengers would abide by my terms but humankind never would. It wouldn't be you but the humans would send someone and the warfare would start all over again. I think I have another solution."

He raised a hand and new copy of his helmet came forward on magnetic waves out of the wreckage. He placed the helmet on his head and, of those present, only Dane could hear the telepathic message:

_Attention, mutants of Earth. I, Magneto, plan to leave this Earth in exile. Any mutants who wish to accompany me are welcome to do so. I shall leave from this spot in three months time. Make your preparations and join me here. We will leave behind the bigotry and narrow-mindedness of humanity behind us and forge a new destiny amongst the stars._

He took off his helmet and made a fist with his hand. The helmet was crushed and tossed aside.

"No!" Quicksilver said as he arrived with a cloud of dust and sand. "You've won. Attilan is ours. We have a home now."

Magneto stared him down.

"The Avengers and the Inhumans would abide by the terms, but the humans would not. Even on the moon there would still be warfare between mutants and humans. Dane Whitman, I will release you from your pledge if you will make a new one. Will you help any mutant who wishes to leave with me in exile."

The Black Knight nodded his agreement.

Next Issue: The Masters of Evil!


	18. Blitzkreig

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #18** **Blitzkrieg**

_Black Knight, Pulsar, Bloodstrike _

"Pulsar, we're glad to see you made it back," Black Knight said as they stood in the briefing room of Avengers Tower.

"Thanks, I'm glad myself. I was in the Oort cloud before I got a hold of myself. The biggest problem at that point was heading the right direction to get home. The sun is pretty much the size of any other star that far out and the Oort cloud isn't dense enough to know if you're heading out of it or into it. I used what navigation I learned in the Coast Guard to recognize the sun. Even then, finding Earth wasn't that easy. Where is everybody?"

"Crystal's on the moon to spend some time with Luna. After Quicksilver got away, we wanted to be sure of her safety. Vision's meeting with the warden at Ryker's Island about any mutants they've got in custody that might want to follow Magneto. Jan wanted to do more shopping since she got interrupted last time. And, of course, my shadow's always here."

He pointed over his shoulder to Bloodstrike who, as always, was standing silently behind him.

"Yeah, that gets kinda spooky after a while. Isn't there anything we can do for him?"

"Not unless you know how to get rid of cursed weapons. And if you do, I'd like to know also. I've got my own."

"I could try blasting it with a ton of energy but I know the Ebony Blade would just absorb it. I doubt it would have any effect on the Executioner's Axe either. What else is on our plate?"

"Quicksilver is on loose. I'm worried he could cause us more problems. We're going to have to coordinate getting all the mutants that want it, out into the middle of the Sahara. Magneto could've picked a more convenient place."

"Would you have wanted them all to meet here in the heart of the city?"

"Good point. Our main concern right now is the Masters of Evil.

"Do we even know who they are yet?"

"Nope. We know there's the three Jan met the other day but we don't know who else might be with them. And I'd really like to know who that Crimson Cowl is. No average person off the street can just start something like that."

Suddenly an alarm started sounding.

"What is that?" Pulsar asked. "I haven't heard that alarm before."

"That's the manual alarm from the guard in the lobby," Black Knight answered. "I wonder why he tripped it."

He typed into the computer and it showed them the view through the cameras in the lobby. They saw the Wrecking Crew, Tiger Shark and other villains entering before a crowbar smashed the camera.

"Not again!" Dane cried. "It's the Masters of Evil attacking. We need to execute the evacuation plans and call the others."

Bloodstrike pushed past them and ran through a window to drop to the street below.

"I guess that's his express route to the lobby," Dane said. "We really need to build him a drop chute. Pulsar, join him there. I'll be there in a second."

Changing into a beam of light, she sped outside but before she could join Bloodstrike she spied something out of the corner of her eye on a nearby rooftop. She knew she needed to check it out quickly before she joined the fray.

Meanwhile Dane hurried over to the bank of elevators and found one coming up. He knew anyone evacuating would take the stairs and he had seen villains entering an elevator on the camera. He pulled the doors open and saw the cables moving in the shaft. Drawing his Ebony Blade he sliced through the line and the car dropped with a crash down into the basement levels.

Then there was more glass shattering and he saw the Griffin fly in carrying Man-Killer. She ran down the hall to attack him but stopped short and smiled at him when she got closer.

"Well, hello there," she said. "No one told me there was someone like you on the Avengers."

Puzzled, Dane wasn't sure what to make of her when the Griffin tackled him. Flying through the building the winged beast carried him outside. Dane grabbed onto his mane and pulled himself onto the creatures back. Still holding onto his hair, the Black Knight then tried to assert his control over the villain.

Meanwhile, Pulsar flew over to a neighboring rooftop but as she got closer she found she couldn't stop. Then she vanished.

"Lightmaster," the Crimson Cowl addressed one of his two cohorts. "Is Pulsar secured?"

"Yeah, I got her," he replied. "Trapping light is my specialty. She won't get away."

"You've taken into account her tachyon form?"

"You already warned about that. She won't get away."

"Good."

"Of course I couldn't have done it without Mentallo drawing her over here."

"It was easy to put a suggestion into her mind," Mentallo said. "And I can fix the Black Knight also. You know his mind is very strong. I couldn't do this if he had any training in telepathy."

"Just do what we discussed," the Crimson Cowl ordered him.

"It's done. He'll never notice the passage of time. He could wrestle with the Griffin all day and think it's only been a few seconds. But after that he'll know what happened."

"It will be long enough," the Cowl replied. "You two stay and cause as much mayhem as you can, I've got something else I need to handle."

With that the figure in red turned and left them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloodstrike dropped to the street and found the villains already inside the building. He burst through the windows of the lobby and a dozen Masters of Evil turned to face him. He roared a guttural, bestial challenge.

Piledriver charged him first and was swatted into a wall with the Thunderstrike mace. Rhino came next and the Executioner's Axe cut his horn clean off. Bulldozer was next and hit him hard. He barely flinched and brought his fists together on either side of his head. Bulldozer dropped like a rock.

Thunderball and the Wrecker hesitated at that sight but Powderkeg charged in with an explosive uppercut that knocked Bloodstrike back about twenty feet. He threw the mace and hit Powderkeg in the forehead with another minor explosion from his nitroglycerine sweat causing more wreckage.

Scorpion and Quicksand ran at him next. He swung the axe on its chain. Scorpion ducked only to have his tail sliced off. It bit into Quicksand and, due to its enchanted nature, she felt it. He swung it again but it bit into a support pillar and got wedged in it.

Hydro-Man hit him with a blast of water that could strip concrete while Shocker hit him with electricity from the other side. The mace had already returned to him and protected him from the electricity but the water was stinging him. Unfortunately for Hydro-Man he wasn't protected and it was conducting back to him. He cut off his attack and Bloodstrike turned to Shocker who turned and ran.

Thunderball grabbed Bloodstrike's right arm and Piledriver grabbed his left arm while Wrecker hit him square in the face with his crowbar. Powderkeg hit him from behind and the resulting explosion blew him out of the Wrecking Crew's grip. Quicksand then pounced on him, pounding him into the ground.

Bloodstrike turned over striking backhanded through Quicksand with the Executioner's Axe. The Scorcher then doused him in flames, burning off most of his costume. Screaming, Bloodstrike blasted him with a concussive bolt from his mace.

As Powderkeg approached him again, he hit him first with the mace. He then grabbed one of his ankles and swung him around scattering the remaining members of the Wrecking Crew and slammed him into another support pillar, shattering it in a huge explosion.

Seeing all of his companions laid low, Wrecker grasped his crowbar tighter

"Thor did this ta me last time we attacked the Avengers and I was so much more powerful. Sorry, guys, but I'm gonna have ta do it again."

He held up the crowbar and energy from the rest of the Wrecking Crew drained from them and went into the crowbar.

"Oh, yeah, now that's power," he said just before he was hit by the Thunderstrike mace. He turned and struck Bloodstrike with the crowbar, hitting his arm. Bloodstrike caught the crowbar with the hook of his axe and pulled it away but Wrecker summoned it back to him.

They traded blows back and forth a few more times until they started grappling with each other. Struggling as giants they each tried to force the other back. Grunting and groaning they wrestled smashing anything left in the lobby. Eventually, slowly, Bloodstrike forced Wreckers arms behind his back and crushed him in a bear hug. He took the crowbar and, bending it out of shape, wrapped it around the Wreckers wrists.

Looking down at his tattered outfit, he slammed his mace on the ground. With a thundering boom his costume was restored to normal. Except that the boom quieted down to a squeak. Confused Bloodstrike looked around at his various foes.

"I hope you're not too exhausted after all of that fighting, because you're not done yet. And if you have any more loud noise like that, I'd love to absorb it and use it against you."

He looked over to see Klaw, the master of sound, facing him with one of his sound-constructed monsters ready to attack.

Next Issue: More of the Masters of Evil!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe: The Masters of Evil attacked Avengers mansion in Avengers #273-27


	19. Thunderstorm

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #19** **Thunderstorm**

_Black Knight, Bloodstrike, Wasp_

_Vision, Crystal_

In the devastated lobby of Avengers tower, Bloodstrike slammed his mace on the ground and with a thundering boom his costume was restored to normal. Except that the boom quieted down to a squeak. Confused Bloodstrike looked around at his various foes who lay scattered before him.

"I hope you're not too exhausted after all of that fighting, because you're not done yet. And if you have any more loud noise like that, I'd love to absorb it and use it against you."

He looked over to see Klaw, the master of sound, facing him with one of his sound-constructed monsters ready to attack.

Defiantly, Bloodstrike slammed his mace on the ground again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man-Killer turned to fight when she heard someone bust out of the elevator shaft behind her but relaxed when she saw it was only Tiger Shark.

"It took you long enough to get up here," she said.

"Sorry, we didn't plan on the elevator cables being cut. I had to climb all the way up the shaft."

"So why are you supposed be up here and not fighting in the lobby. You're not afraid of Bloodstrike, are you?"

"Don't be accusing me of cowardice. I'm needed up here to sever some electrical connections." He put his fist into a wall and pulled out some wires to demonstrate his point.

"I could've cut the wires."

"Yes, but could you find them. I've got the eight senses of a shark. That's three more than you've got. I can see the electricity in the walls." He had walked down the hallway and pulled another node of wires out of the wall.

"What other senses do you have?"

"I have taste buds on my back, just like a shark. They use it to test the water. Me, it just keeps me from sleeping on my back in hotel rooms."

"Eww, what's the other one?"

He was about to answer as he pulled more wires out but he was shocked with a much larger bolt of electricity than before. It was so big it arced over to Man-Killer and zapped her.

Crystal stepped out into the hallway.

"You shouldn't play with electricity when your opponent is an elemental."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again, Bloodstrike hit the ground with his mace. Again, the resulting thunder was absorbed by Klaw.

"Every time you do that, it just makes me more powerful!" he said increasing the size of his construct.

Bloodstrike hit the ground again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the top of a neighboring tower, two the Masters of Evil watched the Avengers Tower shudder from the force of the battle within.

"Did you have any more instructions?" Mentallo asked his comrade.

"No, I think we've done our job," Lightmaster answered. "The Crimson Cowl's got each of us on a single task. I guess ours is done."

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"I've got Photon trapped here. I bet I could sell her to AIM or someone. Do you think it's safe to watch the rest of the fight?"

"Why not. We should be alright; I'll be able to mentally sense anyone approaching."

Suddenly the two were hit from behind by a blast of energy and a red, green, and yellow figure floated down to the roof.

"Unless that someone is a synthezoid," Vision told the two unconscious villains.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a growl in his throat, Bloodstrike slammed his mace on the ground. Repeatedly he did so, with Klaw absorbing the sound each time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A humming sound came out of the elevator shaft, slowly growing louder till it reached a crescendo as Cyclone burst forth in a whirlwind of air. But Crystal used her elemental powers and dispersed the twister and he dropped to the ground in front of her.

"What did you do?" he asked her.

"Just one of the advantages of being an elemental," she said.

Then she was knocked to the ground as Flying Tiger flew in the window.

"And one of the disadvantages is that you're not as tough in close combat as some," he said. Then he was hit from behind by a bolt of force.

"As long as you don't think you're one of those tough ones," Wasp said as she flew in.

"I'll get you for that," he yelled as her flew after her. She shrank down to wasp size and was easily able to avoid him.

"So why'd you pick the name Flying Tiger?" she taunted him. "Did you help the Chinese fight the invading Japanese?"

"My father was one of the Flying Tigers!" he yelled, getting more flustered. "I took the name to honor him because his country forgot him. He died when not even a VA hospital would care for him."

"And this is the way you honor him?" she said hitting him with another one of her stings. However, Cyclone had no trouble due to her size and he hit her with an air blast, knocking her against a wall.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again Bloodstrike slammed the mace down; again Klaw absorbed the noise. His sound construct grew larger and larger.

"Ha, you dim-witted beast! Do you even realize how much you're helping me?" Suddenly a note of panic appeared in his voice. "Wait a minute, what are you doing?"

Again, the mace slammed against the ground.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Black Knight clung to the back of the Griffin as it flew over New Amsterdam, his fingers tangled in the beast's mane, as he tried to tame it. There was this annoying thought in the back of his mind that he just couldn't grasp. It seemed like it had been there for a long time, even though he'd only been wrestling with the Griffin for a few moments. But it wasn't there earlier.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In his insubstantial form, the Vision entered Avengers tower. He found Crystal and helped her to her feet.

"Watch out," she cried. "They're attacking by surprise every chance they get."

He changed his density to his diamond hard form, protecting Crystal, just as flames rushed over him. He turned to see the Scorcher and with a solar beam from the jewel in his forehead brought the ceiling down on him.

Meanwhile Crystal found the Wasp and brought her to consciousness.

"Look out," Jan yelled and they ducked as a geyser of water shot over their heads, blowing the Vision, in his diamond hard form, through a wall.

"I'm getting tired of this," Crystal said. "I'm an elemental and I shouldn't be letting this happen."

She reached out and the geyser stopped. She looked up to see a surprised Hydro-Man held motionless by her powers.

"Some of you I can sense coming."

She turned again and the Ice Master was held motionless be her too.

"In fact, you two are perfect for each other."

She waved a hand and Hydro-Man flew across the room, engulfing the Ice Master, whose powers, not under his own control, froze Hydro-Man solid around him.

"Well those two were easy to take care of," she said.

"And you will be, too"

Crystal and the Wasp turned around to see Cyclone and Flying Tiger, as the Vision came up behind them and bashed their heads together.

"This taking the enemy by surprise is quite effective," he said.

"That's why I'm doing it too," Man-Killer said as she jumped up and struck him. Dropping him to the floor, she exclaimed, "Ha, taking you out was my only assignment."

"You still might want to pay attention to the rest of us," Jan said as she knocked her into the elevator shaft with a couple of wasp stings.

Suddenly, the tower shook violently.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloodstrike slammed his mace against the ground again.

"Stop," Klaw yelled. "You don't know what you're doing. You're going to overload me!"

Suddenly the base of Avengers tower was rocked by a violent explosion.

Next Issue: The Finale!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

Bloodstrike defeated many of the Masters of Evil and Photon was captured by Lightmaster in the last issue of this series


	20. The Collapse

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #20** **The Collapse**

_Black Knight, Bloodstrike, Wasp_

_Vision, Crystal_

Crystal and the Wasp ran out onto the balcony of Avengers tower. The building was violently shaking.

"Oh my god!" the Wasp cried. "I think the whole tower is going to fall."

"The destruction it'll cause will be unimaginable," Crystal said. "I don't know if I can do it but I'll have to see if I can make a vortex to contain it."

"Vision is still inside. I'd better go get him."

As the Wasp flew back into the tower, Crystal, using all of her Inhuman might, commanded a swirl of air around the tower. She almost lost her footing a few times as the building shook but she managed to keep her mind on her task. A whirlwind rose up around the building and while it couldn't support the crumbling tower, it added enough support to slow its collapse and certainly contained it.

Suddenly a giant pair of claws grabbed her from behind.

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Wasp flew into the disintegrating building searching for the Vision. She zipped through the air, which was getting dusty and she had to avoid bits of falling masonry. Eventually she found him where she had left him earlier

The building rumbled more as she grew to full size, shaking and slapping him in an attempt to wake him. He remained unresponsive and she knew she had to take more drastic measures. She shrank back down to six inches and with her lightest bio-sting, zapped him between the eyes.

Vision startled awake, thinking he was under attack but he quickly assessed the situation. He knew that he could survive by lowering his density so the falling rubble would pass right through him but the Wasp couldn't do the same. And he didn't think she'd be able fly out safely.

"Quickly, Wasp," he ordered her. "Shrink down to a smaller size."

She shrank down to an inch and he cupped his hands around her. Immediately he increased his density to its maximum amount, making his body diamond hard. He pressed his hands together tightly securing the Wasp in a protective cocoon just as the floor gave way under his increased weight.

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The Black Knight wrestled with Griffin, clinging tightly to his back as they flew over the city. He knew he'd only been struggling a few seconds but there was a nagging thought in the back of his mind. Suddenly he broke through the telepathic trance Mentallo had placed on him. Realizing how distracted he had been he doubled his efforts at taming the Griffin.

But he didn't stop there. Using his opponent's mane as reins he steered the fight back toward the tower and was shocked at what he saw. He recognized that the whirlwind wasn't going to save the tower but would direct and contain the fall saving nearby buildings and hundreds of innocent bystanders. He also recognized the source of the cyclone.

He forced the Griffin through the winds and spied Crystal controlling the storm as the tower was collapsing beneath her. He had the Griffin swoop down and pick her up as the balcony fell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scorcher woke up groggily, crawling out of the pile of rubble that the Vision had left him under. His head pounding, probably suffering a concussion, he realized the danger he was in. He ran to a window, already broken out, and assessed the situation. He was about thirty stories off the ground and the windstorm without would prevent any attempt to make thermals to survive a fall. He knew he was going down with the building.

Then he spotted three figures out the window and a release for his newfound frustration.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Black Knight fought to control the Griffin, not wanting him to drop Crystal nor to maul her. Suddenly he was bathed in flames. He swung Griffin around out of the fire so that Crystal was safe also. This left him as the sole target of the conflagration.

Head and torso burning he steered the beast straight into the whirlwind. The winds snuffed out the flames but hammered them mercilessly. Buffeted about the Black Knight was torn from the Griffin's back while the Griffin dropped Crystal. All three tumbled through the maelstrom.

Black Knight found Crystal in the storm and pulled her to safety before he even knew he was using his Eternal powers to fly. The Griffin flew in to attack but Dane downed him with a powerful optic blast.

Carrying Crystal he floated down to the street where police had cordoned off a perimeter around the building.

Crystal kept the vortex up till the tower was nothing but a giant pile of debris.

Vision rose up through the wreckage in an intangible state while Wasp navigated her way her way through cracks at a size of less than a millimeter.

His hair and shirt burnt off, his skin blistering red, Dane addressed his fellow Avengers.

"Does anyone know where the rest of the team is?"

"We haven't seen either of them," Wasp answered.

"Last I saw Bloodstrike he was dropping to ground level; he might be under all this. Pulsar was heading to that rooftop over there," Dane told them, pointing to another building.

"I captured two of the villains up there," Vision volunteered. "There was Mentallo and Lightmaster."

"Go investigate up there. See if there's any sign of Pulsar. We'll look for Bloodstrike."

Vision drifted up when the rest of the Avengers heard a rumble within the debris. Then turned, ready for anything, Dane drawing the Ebony Blade. Then with an explosion of rubble, Bloodstrike burst out of the pile.

Vision returned announcing the disappearance of the two Masters of Evil he had captured earlier. They spent the rest of the day digging survivors and bodies out of the rubble.

Crystal caught up with Dane at the end of the day.

"Why don't you get some rest," she told him. "Police have the situation here under control."

"Have we gotten everyone out?"

"Everyone we know was in there. Only Bloodstrike knew who most of the Masters of Evil were. I think the hardest part of the rescue operation was getting the names out of him."

"Were there any innocents found?"

"Not a single one. That's due to your evacuation plans and foresight."

Dane allowed himself a small smile.

"What about the Masters of Evil. Any casualties?"

"Only three; the rest of the Wrecking Crew died because the Wrecker stole their powers. Everyone else was either strong enough to survive a building falling on them or lived through some other use of their powers."

"Even those that were at the top of the tower?"

"They lived because the collapse was so slow."

"That was because of you," he told her. "You saved many lives in there."

"I couldn't have done it without you." She looked up at him. "Shouldn't you be getting treatment for those burns?"

Dane, whose eyes were constantly aglow with Eternal energy, let the energy wash over him. His skin gradually changed from the deep red of burns to the pink of new skin. The energy continued and his costume re-knit itself, covering his chest, then arms, down to his gloves.

"That's great, I can even see your hair already starting to re-grow. Wait a minute. Your hair has always been brown. This new growth is black."

"Crystal," he said, brushing aside her concerns. "What did the Crimson Cowl accomplish here today?"

"What do you mean? He destroyed our headquarters."

"Was that their plan? They were ready for us, they caught us by surprise, they had a plan for each one of us. All for this? We captured most of them. There is no more Masters of Evil to speak of. The Crimson Cowl didn't even stick around to see it. No, there's something deeper going on here."

"What do think it is?"

"I have no idea. We don't even know who the Crimson Cowl is. But I will tell you this, we're going to find out who it is and we're going to hunt him down. He will pay for happened here today. He will learn why we are called the Avengers!"

Next Issue: The Diplomats!


	21. The Politics of Avenging

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #21** **The Politics of Avenging**

_Black Knight, Bloodstrike, Wasp_

_Vision, Crystal_

_Black Panther, Namor_

League of Nations Resolution #4624-2850: Due to the recent attack in the City-State of New Amsterdam upon the headquarters of the Avengers by the super-terrorist organization known as the Masters of Evil and their leader the Crimson Cowl, in light of the fact that the Crimson Cowl is still at large and has pledged himself to the destruction of the Avengers, an organization whose benefit to mankind cannot be overstated, in light of the Crimson Cowl's willingness to kill innocents and destroy property to achieve this goal, the Avengers are hereby authorized and empowered to capture the Crimson Cowl, and any who join him as a member of the Master's of Evil, and are granted immunity from persecution for any and all violations of international, national, and local legal violations incurred in the securing of this goal.

At the South Pole, the bottom of the world, in Amundsen City, in the League of Nations Council Chambers, Secretary General Peter Henry Gyrich rapped his gavel on the podium

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby call this emergency meeting of the League of Nations Security Council to order. Emissaries of all fifteen members of the Council are in attendance. Appearing before the council today are Dane Whitman, known as the Black Knight, chairman of the Avengers, Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, former chairman of the Avengers and current member in good standing, and, uhm, the Avenger known as Bloodstrike, identity withheld as per Avengers prerogative. Mr. Whitman, do you or any of your colleagues, have any opening remarks?"

The Black Knight looked much different from when he first took over as chairman of the Avengers. His hair had recently been burnt off by Scorcher, one of the Masters of Evil, and was now just barely visible on his scalp as it was starting to grow back although now black. He hadn't worn his helmet since Seth, the Egyptian serpent god of death, had ripped it off his head. His eyes were glowing red with the energy bequeathed him when his brainwaves started to match the Eternal Sersi's after he was made her Gann Josin, an Eternal telepathic version of marriage. His chain-mail costume had been reformed out of leather after being shredded in various different battles. At his belt hung the Ebony Blade, the cursed sword that had been attached to his family for many generations.

"Mr. Secretary, we'd just like to thank the Security Council for calling this meeting and recognizing the severity of the situation."

"Then the Council now gives the floor to the sponsor of this resolution, Ambassador Sikorsky of New Amsterdam."

Raymond Sikorsky, sitting at a curved table above the podium with the fourteen other ambassadors, described the circumstances starting with Whirlwind's attack on the Wasp through the Masters of Evil assault on Avengers tower. The floor was next turned over to Ambassador Barca of the Carathaginian Republic.

"Mr. Whitman, I'm concerned about the hero sitting here, known as Bloodstrike. He's been brooding, glaring at me as I stand here. He's got an armband made of barbed wire and a notched axe larger than most of us here. Now this resolution grants you tremendous leeway and I'm not sure I'm comfortable granting this to someone like that."

"Well, Mr. Barca," Dane answered him. "Let me explain a little bit about his history. He was originally choosen by Odin himself, king of the gods, to fill in for Thor and served as an Avenger in that capacity. When Thor returned, Odin, in reward for this service, granted him powers through his enchanted mace. In battling the villain Bloodaxe he was possessed by the Blood Axe, a cursed weapon. While I can understand your concern under those circumstances, my telepathy is keeping him under control and I can't think of a better place for him to be than under our watchful eye. Also I don't think you can doubt the ability of Odin as a character witness."

"Mr. Whitman, unless you can actually produce Odin to testify before us this is just hearsay. And we will have questions about your telepathic abilities, so you have not allayed my concerns at all. I'm afraid my recommendation to the committee is to reject the resolution."

The floor was next turned over to Ambassador L'Ouverture of the Caribbean Confederation.

"Mr. Whitman," he addressed him in his heavy Caribbean accent. "I wish you address some issues we have with Crystal Maximoff, a current member of your team, not in attendance today. Is it true that her people live on the moon?"

"Yes, sir, that is true. The Inhumans are extremely sensitive to pollution and have retreated to the moon to escape the effects of our civilization."

"She is married to Peitro Maximoff, the mutant known as Quicksilver."

"Yes, she is."

"This Quicksilver was once an Avenger and is now a fugitive from the law."

"Yes, he is and-"

"And despite this marriage, and I understand there is a child involved, is it true that you, leader of the team, have a relationship with this woman?"

"Yes, but Crystal is separated from her husband whose membership in the Avengers has been suspended," Dane retorted.

"This sounds to me like a convenient way to be rid of a rival."

"Mr. L'Ouverture!" Dane shouted at him. "You are casting aspersions where there are none to be found. The social life of any of my teammates should not be at issue here."

"Might I remind you, Mr. Whitman, that we are considering entrusting you with quite a bit of power and your moral fiber is quite a concern here. Now another issue with Mrs. Maximoff, if her people live on the moon, as you say, how well can we trust her loyalty to the people of Earth?"

"If you have any doubts about Crystal, you can refer to her distinguished service both as a member of the Avengers and as a member of the Fantastic Four. In fact Black Bolt, the king of the Inhumans, recently gave his life fighting Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, another group of super-terrorists, which resulted in Magneto renouncing terrorism and vowing to leave Earth and take many of his 'evil mutants' with him."

"Very well, no further questions."

"This is not going very well," Dane whispered to Jan. "I did not expect them to bring up some of these issues."

"I think we're doing fine," she answered. "I think you turned that around with the last bit. Just keep reminding them how much the world needs us."

"Mr. Whitman," Ambassador Travis of the Republic of Texas addressed him. "Don't y'all have the Vision currently on your team? Now didn't he once try to take over the world?"

"Yes, Mr. Travis, on both counts. The Vision was under the influence of a malfunction in a control crystal, a circuit within his synthezoid brain. He has since removed the circuit and has had a spotless record since then. On top of that agents of this very council completely disassembled him against his will when you previously had doubts about him. Now some people have said that a synthezoid, being an artificial being, has no rights but the Vision, like Thor and Hercules and others, is a member of the Avengers which grants him honorary citizenship. I think the Vision has suffered enough to make up for his past."

"I have a question for Ms. Van Dyne," Ambassador Itza of the Mayan Republic spoke up. "You are married to Dr. Henry Pym, right? And this is the same Dr. Pym who was once on trial and only narrowly acquitted for crimes against the Avengers?"

"Yes, I was once married to him," she answered. "But we have been divorced for many years now. I'd also like the record to state that not only was he acquitted but that he was acquitted because evidence was brought forth to prove that he had been framed by Egghead."

"My question," Ambassador Brant of the Iroquois Confederation said. "Is about the Eternals of Olympia. The last known contact with them was a distress signal specifically for you that you answered. No one has heard from them since then. Can you tell us what happened to them?"

"One of the Eternals, Gilgamesh, once an Avenger, was the oldest Eternal we know of. He was suffering from the Mahd W'yry, sort of an Eternal version of Alzheimer's disease. He had gone berserk and was attacking them. Keep in mind that the Eternals are telepathic. We believe the other Eternals caught this disease from him and they all attacked us. The only way we could stop them was by absorbing them into the Ebony Blade."

"Are you saying that you killed them all?"

"Eternals cannot die, Mr. Brant. They are energy forms and were absorbed into the Ebony Blade. It may be possible to bring them back someday."

"It sounds like semantics to me, Mr. Whitman."

"Then look at it this way: a powerful race of beings had gone berserk and we were the only thing that stood between them and the rest of the world. You will want someone who has had experience making hard decisions like this to hunt down the Crimson Cowl and is willing to do what it takes."

"Mr. Secretary," T'Challa, king and ambassador of Wakanda, the Avenger known as the Black Panther addressed him. "I do not have any questions myself. Everyone here is aware that I am an Avenger myself and I can stand as a character witness for all of them. I have served as one of them and find them all to be the honorable and mighty heroes that the Earth needs."

"I have no questions," Prince Namor, king and ambassador of Atlantis and one-time Avenger addressed the council. "But you should know about the last time I met the Black Knight. The Avengers came to Atlantis to help fight off an attack by sea creatures. Despite being romantically involved with Crystal Maximoff, he made unseemly advances towards my wife. And then while a rebel army was attacking Atlantis he turned her to stone! Despite my membership I believe this current team is not worthy of the name and recommend this council vote against this resolution."

Dane Whitman stood up and looked at each of the council members. He had expected the most trouble from the last one, Dr. Doom, monarch of Latvia, and he hadn't heard a word from him yet. Suddenly, as he was looking at him, he found himself seated up there looking down at himself. Confused at first, he remembered Dr. Doom had an ability to change bodies with people. That meant Dr. Doom was in his body! He was in Dr. Doom's body but he found he couldn't move within the armor. Doom must have had a secret method of controlling his armor.

He saw Dr. Doom using his body address the council.

"Now see hear Ambassadors! I don't need to sit hear and listen to this. There's enough firepower on my team to destroy any one of your nations."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Vision and Crystal were supervising the demolition of Avengers tower when an elderly figure dressed in robes floated down from the sky.

"Who are you?" Crystal asked.

"We don't have much time," the figure said. "I bring a gift for the Avengers. As you have recently lost your headquarters, I have a space available."

He waved his hands and shimmering gateway appeared in the air.

"Follow me," he said and stepped through the gateway.

Vision and Crystal cautiously followed him. They found themselves standing in the Eternal city of Olympia. The buildings had all been repaired and reconfigured with an Avengers motif.

"The Eternals have no use for this any more and I believe they would be happy if you made use of it. The Vision's computer brain will be easiest to impart the knowledge to. This will tell you how to configure the buildings and the gateway."

He lightly touched Vision on the forehead.

"This will be very useful," the Vision said.

"Yes," Crystal said. "Who are you and how can we thank you?"

"It's not safe for me to stay any longer. I will help you again when I can but I don't know when that will be."

With that the stranger flew away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Doom paused for dramatic effect. There was no way he would let this council give the Avengers authority over his country. Now, due to his outburst, he was sure the vote would go against them. He saw his own body sitting up there with the Black Knight trapped inside. Suddenly he was sitting up there looking down on the proceedings. Then he remembered the Black Knight's telepathy. He must have telepathically triggered Doom's power to switch bodies. But it didn't matter, he thought smugly, he had already done enough damage.

"You must pardon me," the Black Knight continued after Doom's rant. "My teammate, Pulsar, is still missing and concern for her overwhelms me."

Doom watched Secretary Gyrich pound his gavel on the podium. "I think we've heard enough and I think it's time to call for a vote."

Doom had already calculated the voting and he knew the vote would be close but thought it would go his way. He watched as each council member voted. He counted seven votes for and seven votes against. He was pleased to know he got to cast the deciding vote against the Avengers. Then Gyrich rapped his gavel again.

"The vote is eight to seven in favor. The resolution passes."

Doom looked to find he had already voted in favor. Then he realized what had happened. Dane Whitman had telekinetically cast his vote for him while they had switched bodies. And he couldn't reveal it without exposing his part in the deception.

Next Issue: A.I.M. High!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe:

The Master of Evil attacked the Avengers and Avengers Tower in issues #18-20 of this series. The Scorcher burnt off the Black Knights hair in #20.

The Black Knight fought Seth in issue #4 of this series.

Bloodstrike started filling in for Thor in Thor #432. He received the mace in Thor #459. He was possessed by the Executioner's Axe in Thunderstrike #23.

Black Bolt died in issue #17 of this series.

Vision took over the world in Avengers, Volume 1, #253. He removed and destroyed the control crystal in Avengers #254. He was disassembled in West Coast Avengers #43.

Henry Pym was on trial in Avengers #228-230.

The Avengers fought the Eternals in issue #14 of this series. They visited Atlantis in #6-8.

Dr. Doom learned to switch bodies in Fantastic Four #10.


	22. AIM High

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #22** **A.I.M. High**

_Black Knight, Bloodstrike, Wasp_

_Vision, Crystal, Pulsar_

Far above A.I.M. island the Avengers Quinjet hovered.

"Dane, are you sure this is where Pulsar is?" Wasp asked him.

"Yes," he answered. "I've telepathically traced her. She's directly below us."

"Black Knight," Vision alerted him. "I'm getting radio transmission. They're complaining about us violating their airspace."

"Tell them that according to the League of Nations Resolution #4624-2850, we have every right to be here."

Meanwhile, Bloodstrike opened a hatch on the floor of the Quinjet and then stepped out. Plummeting through the sky he fell to Earth, hitting a roof and crashing though several stories and eventually landing in a basement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Last time he did that," Dane Whitman said. "I promised to make him a drop chute. I don't think I can do that from a hovering Quinjet. Let's go help him. Crystal, I'll levitate you down. Vision and Wasp, you can fly. Leave the Quinjet hovering."

They flew down to the ground and through the hole in the ceiling down a couple of levels till Dane stopped them.

"She's on this floor somewhere. Spread out, we'll find her."

They were in a large storeroom with a variety of odd items.

"A.I.M. must have bought her from Lightmaster." Dane said.

"I have found Lightmaster's pack," the Vision said.

"She's probably stored in the form of light. You won't be able to hurt her."

Energy shot forth from the jewel on Vision's forehead, ripping through the pack till Pulsar sprang out. She landed on all fours.

"Thank you," she said. "I'll be ready to go in just a minute."

"Take your time," Dane replied. "We're in no hurry."

Just then, five white featureless humanoid forms entered, crashing through the windows.

"Look out," Wasp cried. "They're adaptoids."

"Alright, I think we will need you rather quickly," Dane told Monica.

One of the adaptoids, adapting Pulsar's powers, flashed towards them in the form of light. Dane already had the Ebony Blade out and, with a quick flick of his wrist, brought it across the beam of light and absorbed it into the sword.

"Dane!" Crystal called out. "Be careful. Remember what happened when you absorbed the Eternals."

"This didn't seem to bother me at all," he answered as stepped forward and sliced through three more adaptoids.

"Maybe it's because these aren't alive."

He attempted to hack through the final one but the last adaptoid had absorbed his powers and was able to parry with his own newly formed copy of the Ebony Blade. Vision stepped forward and, with a blast from his solar jewel, knocked the adaptoid back through the window it had just entered. Four Avengers rushed to the window with Pulsar following.

They were half way up a five-story building. The adaptoid, already looking like a pale copy of the Black Knight, was growing taller and taller, so that they didn't even have to look down on it.

"He seems to be absorbing my powers too," Wasp said.

"Well, I can't do that," Dane answered.

"It does not look like he has absorbed your looks, Jan, as adaptoids tend to do," Vision pointed out. "It seems to only be absorbing the Black Knight's powers. None of the other four looked to be absorbing more than one of us."

"Regardless, we've got a situation here," Dane interrupted. "Avengers, attack!"

Dane flew at the now over a hundred foot tall adaptoid to stab it but was batted aside by the giant Ebony Blade it wielded. The giant then brought his sword down across the building scattering Avengers.

Vision, Wasp, and Pulsar could fly but Crystal leapt for safety and found herself falling only to be caught by the Wasp holding her hand.

"Thanks, Jan," she said. "I didn't know you'd be able to catch me."

"At about a foot tall I have super strength, although this is hard on my wings," she answered as she lowered Crystal to the ground. "Besides, Vision and Pulsar are both intangible when they fly so it had to be me."

"Be careful, Pulsar," Vision called to her as she flew around the huge adaptoid. "That sword may be able to absorb you the way Dane's caught that other adaptoid."

"I won't get too close," she replied. "But I'm not strong enough to hurt it."

She zapped it with a few energy bursts but they had no effect. Meanwhile the giant was trying to get her with its sword and was downing powerlines and destroying many buildings and other structures of AIM's scientific and industrial complex. Alarm bells were starting to sound off and AIM personnel were starting to evacuate. AIM soldiers were firing on it but their weapons had no effect either and they were easier targets for its massive sword.

"Viz, you need to watch out for that sword also," Monica warned him as he floated up.

"I have noted its range and am staying clear," he assured her.

But then a burst of energy from the adaptoid's eyes knocked the Vision out of the sky. Pulsar landed near Crystal and the Wasp.

"It's got Dane's Eternal powers also," she told them.

"If it starts turning us into pigs, then we're really in trouble," Wasp advised. "But I think it's too mindless to do that. In the meantime keep hitting it as hard as you can."

Wasp flew up and started hitting it with her stings, avoiding the sword by shrinking down to one inch high. Pulsar went back to harrying it and Crystal began to launch boulders at it with her elemental powers. This allowed the AIM scientists and other personnel more time to escape but didn't seem to harm it any.

Finally, frustrated with not being able to hit the Wasp, the adaptoid stopped swinging and glared at her. She stopped short as if grabbed in mid air and fell out of the sky.

"It's got telekinetics now," Pulsar yelled. "Someone catch her."

Then she just stopped falling, hanging limply in the air.

"I've got her," Dane called out as he flew up to her, holding her telekinetically till her could grab her with his hand. The giant duplicate of the Ebony Blade swung at him and he parried it with the original, feeling the jar of such a large weapon hitting his.

He flew up to confront the adaptoid at its eyelevel. Beams of energy shot out of its eyes but Dane met them with his own. Eye to eye, they stood in stalemate for a few moments until Dane managed to overpower it and the adaptoid recoiled.

It stood before a short tower which, with a single slice of its blade, it cut through the lower stories and telekinetically hurled the top part of the building at his opponent. Dane shielded the Wasp's body with his own, curling into the fetal position, as the building smashed him into the ground.

"Monica, Crystal," the Vision called out, having just returned in time to witness this. "Try to distract it. I will try to disrupt it internally."

As Pulsar and Crystal renewed their assault upon the robot, Vision floated up behind it and dove into its body. Except that he bounced off the surface, unable to penetrate the skin.

"Must be due to its Eternal powers," Vision mused as the adaptoid grabbed him telekinetically and lifted him up before him.

"Hold, adaptoid!" Dane yelled as he burst forth from the ruins of the tower and flew up to hover along side of the Vision. "Despite your size, your blade was matched by mine. Your eye bursts were no match for mine. And now you wish to try telekinesis? Very well."

Hovering beside the Vision, holding his Ebony Blade in one hand and the Wasp in the other, Dane focused all his might on the adaptoid. Eventually the Vision could tell Dane was winning because the adaptoid let him go. Still he saw no movement from either of the two combatants until he thought he saw a dimple appear on the side of the adaptoid's head. Then, finally, the adaptoid crumpled, crushed by telekinetic force into a fist-sized wad.

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Bloodstrike waded through the wreckage of the basement laboratory. The scientist who were there fled before him as he walked forward swinging both axe and mace. Eventually he came across a strange glowing cube held in laboratory equipment. Curious, he reached out and picked it up.

Next Issue: Bloodstrike has the cosmic cube!

How and where it happened in the Marvel Universe: Bloodwraith, wielding the Ebony Blade, grew to monstrous height in Avengers, Volume 3, #36.


	23. The World According to Bloodstrike

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #23** **The World According to Bloodstrike**

_Black Knight, Bloodstrike, _

_Captain America, Thor_

"Eric? Eric, are you all right?"

Confused, Bloodstrike looked up into the face of Captain America. Thor and the Black Knight stood on either side of him. The Black Knight was in his old costume with his helmet. Even more confusing, Bloodstrike was in his Thunderstrike costume with no sign of the Bloodaxe.

"Eric?" Captain America said again. "The armies of the Red Skull are attacking and we need your help to stop them. Are you with us?"

They were standing in Battery Park and Eric could see the army approaching out of the city.

"Yeah, Cap," he nodded. "I'll be alright."

In fact, he felt fine as the three other Avengers smiled at him.

"Great, son, I knew we could count on you," Captain America said and turned to attacking army. "Avengers, attack!" he cried as they entered the fray.

The four heroes hit the army like a force of nature. Captain America, as always, was an inspiring sight as he leapt into battle. He would hit three soldiers at once knocking each into others, clearing a circle. Then, with a wave of his arm, throw his shield into an arc that dropped every soldier on the edge of that circle. And, as his shield returned to him, he was already moving on to the next group.

Thor, with his mighty mallet, Mjolnir, would clear out a whole battalion with a single swing and then destroy a tank with the next. In between he would stop and call down a bolt of lightning destroying a whole company of soldiers.

The Black Knight waded into the battle with his Ebony Blade flashing. He sliced through rifles, bazookas, and rocket launchers while hitting soldiers left and right.

Eric always felt insignificant and overawed by his fellow Avengers but he fought on just the same. With the Thunderstrike mace, no soldier could stand against him and he could release a blast that would cripple the tanks. Then he heard Cap call to him.

"Heads up, 'strike. Take it into left field," A grenade had bounced off his shield, heading towards Eric.

Eric swung his mace and the grenade flew at least a mile away.

"Good job, Avenger," Cap encouraged him. "Keep at 'em."

Eric returned to the fray renewed by Cap's support. But the Red Skull's army seemed endless and the battle went on and on. Eventually he was separated from his teammates. As he fought he thought this was the life for him just fighting the good fight. But then a voice inside him said that wasn't right. There had to be more to life than just fighting.

Suddenly he felt a shell explode against his back. He turned to see a tank and smashed its barrel with his mace. He then crushed the front end and ripped the turret off. As he flipped the tank over, he thought he saw the Red Skull inside. He recalled Cap saying that part of the plan was for him to face the Red Skull but where was Cap? Then he realized it wasn't the Red Skull when he saw Bloodaxe step out of the wreckage of the tank, clothed in the red mask and leather wielding the monstrous axe.

Startled, Eric stepped back. Bloodaxe lunged at him and, with a single slash, cut him in two.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shielding his eyes from the bright sun, Eric looked down at the sand at his feet. He wasn't sure what was going on but he could see he was still in his Thunderstrike costume. He didn't even realize there was a roar of the crowd till it died out. He looked up to see he was on the sands of a Roman coliseum. Bloodaxe was standing beside him and Captain America, Thor, and Black Knight were standing in the Emperor's box. The crowd was full of people he recognized. There were Avengers and other heroes he had fought along side of. And many villains he had fought also were there. Then there were many normal people he knew from his civilian life, all sitting side by side.

Thor stepped forward, his cape wrapped around him like a toga. He didn't say a word, he just saluted the two on the field. He then gestured for them to proceed.

Eric wasn't sure what he was signaling but Bloodaxe turned and swung his axe at him. He dodged attacks again and again. He tried to go on the offense, starting with a parry from his mace but Bloodaxe just took the opportunity to hit him with his off hand.

This knocked Eric away from him so he had a chance to collect himself. He looked up to see Bloodaxe charging him and he blasted him with a bolt from his mace. This caught Bloodaxe off guard and gave Eric a chance and he got in some good blows with the mace.

But then Bloodaxe caught the mace and pulled Eric off balance. His back was exposed and Bloodaxe brought his axe down cutting into him. Again, everything went dark.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Gentlemen," Captain America said, "I understand you are men of honor." He was addressing Eric and Bloodaxe in a misty forest clearing, the sun was rising on the horizon.

"But is there any way we can resolve this without resorting to violence?"

Bloodaxe glared at him and simply shook his head in the negative.

The Black Knight pulled him aside as Cap turned away for a moment. Thor was there too but no one else was present.

"Eric, you've got to do something about these fights."

"Do you remember each time?" Eric was surprised.

"Yes, but I think it's only because of our psychic connection. You've got to somehow win one of these fights."

Cap then called his attention back as he opened a large case. "Gentlemen," he said again. "Choose, your weapons."

Inside the case was the Bloodaxe and the Thunderstrike mace.

Bloodaxe reached for his axe but Eric grabbed it first.

"I believe I am the injured party," he said.

He wasn't sure what to do with the axe but he knew he had to do something different. Each succeeding fight was getting a smaller and smaller audience. He wasn't sure how much farther it could go or what would happen. He did think there had to be some significance to the three Avengers he looked up to the most being there.

Then Bloodaxe came at him swinging the mace. Eric was surprised and got hit with a few times. He tried to swing the axe but it wasn't what he was used to and knocked him off balance. Meanwhile he got hit a few more times with the mace.

He was slightly turned away from Bloodaxe so he tried to spin around and slam his elbow into him but got hit from behind away while his back was turned.

He realized Bloodaxe was using the mace the same way he used the axe. This gave him an idea. He pulled the axe close to him and tried to use it to blast his opponent as he would do with his mace. Bloodaxe was completely taken by surprise when his axe hit him with a bolt of energy in this way. And it was far stronger than any blast from the mace.

Eric quickly pressed his advantage. Bloodaxe was on the ground and Eric stepped on the mace. He dropped onto him and held the axe at his throat. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He had unmasked Bloodaxe before and it turned out to be Jackie Lucus, his one time girlfriend. But when he had just fought in the arena the stands were full of people he knew and he remembered seeing her there. So who was under the mask now?

He pulled off the mask and knew he shouldn't have been shocked when he saw his own face there. He wasn't sure why he was full of anger but he stood up and brought the axe down on Bloodaxe. Everything went dark again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now he was back in the basement of the AIM building. He was back to being Bloodstrike and he was holding the cosmic cube in the palm of his hand. He realized now what it was and what it could do. He wasn't sure he could control it but he did his best to summon the power it offered and then crushed it to powder.

Next Issue: Modok defends AIM island!

Footnotes: The Black Knight and Blookstrike established a psychic connection in issue #1 of this series.

Bloodaxe's identity was revealed in Thunderstrike #


	24. Death By Avenger

**Alternate Avengers** **Issue #24**

**Death by Avenger**

_Black Knight, Crystal, _

_Wasp, Pulsar, _

_Vision, Bloodstrike_

The Black Knight, Crystal, Wasp, Pulsar, and the Vision stood amid the ruins of Boca Caliente, the Caribbean island headquarters of AIM. Many of the buildings had been trashed by their recent battle with several adaptoids. Alarms were sounding and the island was being evacuated.

"Is everyone alright? Pulsar?" Dane, the Black Knight asked.

Pulsar, Monica Rambeau, had just been rescued from AIM by the rest of the team.

"Yeah," she answered. "I'll be fine. I'm actually quite well rested."

Suddenly there was a rumbling in a pile of rubble nearby and then blast from inside the pile opened up a tunnel from inside. Using his mace, Bloodstrike flew out of the debris and landed next to them.

"Hey" he said briefly. For the usually silent Bloodstrike this was a speech.

"You okay, Eric?" Dane asked him.

"Fine," he nodded.

"Great, let's get out of here. AIM is in complete disarray. I doubt they'll bother anyone for some time to come. The quinjet is still hovering up there. Monica, I think it would be easiest for you to get it."

Dane looked at her when there was no response and saw that only Vision was looking around. All the rest of the team were motionless.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked. "Vision?"

"I am fine. However…"

The Vision's remarks were cut short by a blast that scattered the team.

"Did anyone see what that was?" Dane asked. "Vision, you still there?"

"I am. We are under attack from an unknown source."

Suddenly another blast sent the Vision sprawling. And then Modok appeared from behind a pile of rubble. He picked up Bloodstrike by a foot and began to use him as a flail.

"Die, Avengers! Die!" he chanted.

"Modok!" Vision announced. "He is trying to provide cover while his associates escape"

"That doesn't make any sense," Dane responded. But he was busy avoiding Modok's flailing because he didn't want to damage Bloodstrike by parrying with his sword. Eventually he just flew up to levitate out of Modok's reach. "We weren't interfering with the evacuation in any way."

"Then why would he attack us like this?" Vision asked as he joined the Black Knight above the scene. "Perhaps he sees us as having attacked the island?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's just on general principles."

"By the way, this is not a good defensive position. Modok can fly just as well as either of us."

"Yes, but I'm curious to see what his next move is."

Dane then had to dodge as Modok threw the body of Bloodstrike at them and he deftly caught it as it went flying past. He looked at Bloodstrike, examining him telepathically.

"It looks like Modok has used his telepathic powers to shut down the minds of our friends. It makes sense that it wouldn't affect the two of us."

"But now he is turning his attention to our companions!" Vision observed as Modok picked up the bodies of Crystal and Pulsar.

Interesting, Dane thought. This also doesn't make sense. Why would he turn his attention to those who aren't a threat to him? But Dane's thoughts had to wait as Bloodstrike awoke from his stupor, starting to growl and thrash about.

Dane dropped him near his axe, knowing he was strong enough to survive the fall and that holding the axe would calm him down.

Meanwhile the Vision swooped down to rescue his fellow Avengers. It was a brief dogfight as the Vision used his solar beams and Modok his mental blasts. But then Modok threw the limp bodies of Crystal and Pulsar at him. Vision turned intangible and they flew right through him. However, since his power of flight was a side effect of his intangibility, he couldn't catch them.

"Black Knight!" he called out, alerting Dane to his companions peril. Dane flew over to catch them.

Bloodstrike, having picked up his axe and mace, saw his friends being flung aside. With rage in his eyes he rushed forward and struck Modok with his mace. He would have followed up with an axe strike but Modok tumbled head over heels landing some yards away.

Dane set his friends down as quickly as he dared. He then blocked Bloodstrike from following up with his murderous intent. Unfortunately this left his back exposed and Mokok hit him with a mental bolt.

As the Black Knight fell Vision replaced him to stop Bloodstrike. The two struggled mightily. Modok tried to blast the Vision but he had increased his density to its greatest limit to have as much strength as possible. Modok's blast bounced right off him.

Dane quickly regained consciousness and saw the scene before him. Why, he wondered would Modook try to stop him or the Vision when they were trying to save him from Blookstrike. Was it because Modok had already demonstrated that he could shut down Bloodstrike's mind and was using him as a diversion? There seemed to be more to it than that.

To test out this theory he called out new orders to the Vision.

"Let him go. He's being used as a distraction."

Vision turned intangible and Bloodstrike raced over to Modok. He raised his axe and Dane waited for Modok to stop him. The axe began to drop and Dane realized that if distraction was Modok's plan, that was over and this was no part of that type of plan.

A blast from his eyes destroyed the ground beneath Bloodstrike, throwing off his axe strike and sending him tumbling.

"Vision, stop Modok," he ordered. "I'll worry about Bloodstrike."

The Black Knight flew over to the giant axe-wielder and began to telepathically calm him down.

Modok, his chair ruined by the earlier mace blow, crawled out of the chair and aimed his next blast at the pair.

Vision, now intangible, arose out of the ground behind him and partially re-materialized his hand in Modok's head, physically disrupting him. As soon as he lost consciousness, the rest of the Avengers awoke from their stupor.

After a brief explanation of the events, Black Knight explained Modok's plan.

"Are you guys familiar with death by cop?" he asked.

"It's a form of suicide," Monica explained. "Someone acts as a threat hoping to get a lethal response. So you think that's what Modok was doing?"

"It does explain everything, especially why he didn't stop Bloodstrike when he easily could have. And after all that AIM has done to him to make him into Modok, I think I can understand where he's coming from."

Next Issue: Extra sized 25th Issue: Hercules' Revenge!

Footnotes: The Avengers battled the adaptoids in issue #22 of this series.


	25. Struggle for the Throne

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #25** **Struggle for the Throne **

_Hercules, _

_Beast, _

_Deathcry_

An Avengers Quinjet soared through the skies over Antarctica. A famous blue-furred Avenger was at the controls.

"I'm going to take this Quinjet and fly back to Muir Island," Beast declared.

"Navigate however, my friend," Hercules replied. "My new godly might shall take us whither I wish."

Indeed, at that moment the Quinjet flew into a bank of clouds that suddenly sprang up. Similarly, all of the instruments went haywire and Beast knew he was no longer in control of the craft. Then the clouds parted and Hank McCoy was treated to a most fantastical display of Greek architecture, beyond any he could ever imagine.

"There do be our goal, Henry McCoy, the fabled Mount Olympus!" Hercules cried. "Now land this craft most swiftly."

With that comment Hercules pushed the steering controls forward, plunging the Quinjet into a nose dive. Beast barely had time to apply the braking thrusters when the Quinjet crashed through the columns of a building. Air bags for Deathcry and Beast deployed automatically as they were in the two forward seats. Hercules, however, was standing between them and, upon impact, flew into the control panel. Even under his old powers this would not have slowed him. He ripped the front of the Quinjet open from the inside and ran off.

"Whether he's a man or deity, he never thinks of anyone but himself," Hank complained.

"Perhaps, the things he thinks of are beyond mortal comprehension," Deathcry replied.

"I imagine the hundreds of deaths that could result from this, including mine, are just what is on his mind?"

"You had a safe landing. How could you die just by being here?"

"It's not so much my being here that is the issue. It's my not being back in my lab. The end of my sabbatical is long over due. I have a duty to the victims of a plague."

"Ah, the legacy virus that you were working on. But how does that…? You are infected?"

"Yes, my fine feathered friend," Hank admitted. "Thinking that it would give me an added impetus to find a cure, I have injected myself with the virus. Unfortunately, it may mean I die before I could find a cure."

Having no more to say to each other, Beast and Deathcry extracted themselves from the Quinjet, but Hercules was already gone. A crowd had begun to gather. Even Avengers as experienced as Beast and Deathcry marveled at the creatures that were assembling. A tall human looking figure with long blond hair stepped forward from the crowd.

"Greetings, mortals," he announced. "I do be Apollo, son of Zeus. By the symbols on your ship, I see that you are Avengers. All Avengers do be welcome in Olympus. Come, introduce yourselves to us."

"I am the Beast and this is my…," he thought for the right words. "…fellow Avenger, Deathcry. Hercules has brought us here against my will. I do not think he is currently of sound mind and I question his motives."

"I do see," the god responded. "Thus the wreckage of thy ship. Come with me and we shall present the matter before Zeus."

Apollo escorted them towards Olympus' Audience Chamber. However along the way, all three could hear a commotion coming from the hall and ultimately were running there. When they arrived Zeus was on his throne and Hercules was addressing him.

"Father!" Hercules yelled. "For too long thou hast abused thy position as king of the gods!"

"Be ye carefully about how thou dost address thy king!"

"Thou shouldst take care! For thou may not be king of the gods for much longer!"

The ground and the building started shaking as the powers of the two gods began to build. Dust fell and the two began to glow.

Then another god, looking older than the others but still looking as powerful as the rest, bravely stood between the two.

"Stop this madness," he cried. "Do either of you wish to destroy Mount Olympus, itself?"

The two most powerful gods stood staring at each other until they both looked around to see the building still quaking.

"I suggest the two of you meet in the great amphitheater of Olympus in the morning, a place made to withstand the might of such a battle."

"We shall meet on the morn," Hercules pointed at Zeus as he spoke. "And as you defeated your father, and he his father before him, fate shall prevail."

With those words Hercules turned and flew away, blasting a hole in the audience chamber wall as he did so.

"So be it!" Zeus commanded. "Everyone shall attend the amphitheater at dawn to witness my victory!"

As Zeus spoke a column of smoke rose about him until it completely obscured him. Then, just as quickly the smoke cleared away revealing his disappearance.

Apollo ushered the two Avengers to his own chambers and they were joined by Athena and Hephaestus.

"Do you really think Hercules in his evolved state, could take on Zeus?" Beast asked.

"History is on his side," Apollo answered.

"It may not be on the morning," Athena added. "But eventually 'twill be. Zeus didst overthrow his father, Cronus, as he didst overthrow his father, Uranus, afore him. While each time the succession hath been violent, it hath also been an improvement. I be not so sure 'twill be the case this time."

"It doth seem to be what is known as diminishing returns." Hephaestus pointed out.

"It doth seem as though Prometheus hath enacted a plan," Apollo noted.

"Prometheus?" Hank asked. "How does he play into this?"

"You saw him yourself," Apollo said. "He was the one who suggested a battle in the morning. He hath e'er been behind the scenes during portentous moments."

The group continued discussing on into the night but no conclusions were reached. Apollo offered his hospitality to the Avengers and they retired for the night.

Far below Olympus, far below Hades, in a deep and gloomy pit, a winged youth started. Sensing a vast power, he attempted to hide within the shadows.

"Son of Night, come forth!" a booming voice ordered. "The king of the gods commands thee."

He crawled out of his hiding place.

"What do you wish of me, my lord?" he asked.

"Thanatos, child of Darkness, thy lord doth require thy services. I do need something that can kill even a god."

The next morning the great amphitheater of Olympus was packed. Apollo, by virtue of his status, procured a front row seat for himself and his guests.

Hercules entered the arena from one side and walked out to the middle.

"Where is he?" he called. "I issue a challenge to my father for the throne of Olympus. Doth he be brave enough to face me?"

With a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning Zeus appeared before him.

"I do be here," he answered the challenge. "Ready to quash the whelp who doth forget his place."

Hercules roared in anger and the two joined into battle. Hercules threw bolts of power and Zeus, his lightning bolts. They wrestled and grappled on the floor of the arena.

"I do not understand this," Hank said. "Yesterday these two nearly tore Olympus apart just with their anger. Now they're in full battle and we don't feel a thing."

"`Tis the amphitheater," Apollo replied. "The power they expend is dampened before it doth reach us."

"A force field?" Deathcry ventured.

"Nay," Hephaestus answered. "Simple engineering. I do know well how to design things."

Hank returned his attention to the battle before him. As the gods struggled back and forth they kicked up much sand from the arena floor. But there seemed to be something more going on. There was something in the sand that he noticed. He wasn't quite sure what though. Even in Olympus, he thought, the rules of physics should prevail. Unless there's some outside force operating, which probably happens very frequently in this place, he mused.

Then suddenly he knew what it was. He leapt to the edge of the arena. Then with a somersault, launched himself towards the fighters. He didn't quite hit his target dead on. His left foot landed squarely but his right was off. So he tumbled off to his right and a winged youth was knocked the other direction. The young god was holding a knife in his hands and Hank had a helmet in the grasp of his left foot.

"That doth be Hades' helm of invisibility," someone cried out.

"Thanatos!" someone else yelled. Hank recognized the name as the personification of death.

The two combatants stopped suddenly at the scene unfolding next to them and many gods joined them on the floor of the arena. There was a loud murmur of voices as everyone was trying to understand what had happened. Gods crowded around. Ares grabbed Thanatos and held him up by the neck, having disarmed him. But then a silence rippled through the stadium as everyone was staring at Zeus. Zeus himself was staring at a long gash in his side from a knife wielded by Thanatos.

"I do think…," Zeus looked at Hercules as he spoke. "I do think… I… hath made… a mistake."

Zeus tumbled over backwards and fell to the ground. Prometheus bent down to examine him.

"Zeus is dead," he stated solemnly.

"It was an accident," Thanatos cried. "I was supposed to stab Hercules."

The roar of the crowd arose again. Hercules stepped forward and ripped Thanatos from Ares' grasp.

"Wait!" Prometheus interrupted, his hands moving in odd patterns over the body of Zeus. "I have the power of Zeus but I cannot hold it. We must decide quickly who is to be the next ruler of Olympus!"

"I have survived the combat!" Hercules yelled. "I claim my birthright!"

"I have been a loyal son!" Ares retorted. "I should be the one to take his place."

Several other gods and goddesses put forward their claim. Hercules dropped Thanatos and shoved Apollo aside. Thanatos darted aways. Ares grabbed Hercules' arm. Many other fights began to break out.

"Hold!" Prometheus yelled. "All of the gods have some claim and every denizen of Olympus is biased. I ask the wisdom of the mortal who is among us. Who should rule the gods, Henry McCoy?"

Beast still sat on the floor of the arena where he had originally landed. As all eyes turned to him, he first thought of the helm of invisibility, still grasped by his left foot.

"Well if it's wisdom you want," he answered as he stood. "Why don't you look to your own goddess of wisdom." And he gestured towards Athena.

"Done!" Prometheus cried as he waved her direction.

Athena felt the power of Zeus infuse her.

"No!" Hercules boomed. "That power is mine!"

Athena held her hand up before Hercules and he disappeared.

"What did you do to him?" Deathcry asked her.

"This crisis was brought upon us by his arrogance," she answered. "Due to his power I had to take him by surprise but I have banished him to a place where his power may do some good."

"Mortals," she continued. "Thou dost have our gratitude. But Olympus is no place for thee. Apollo, wouldst thou escort our friends back to their homes."

The chariot of Apollo landed at the Muir Island Research Station and dropped off two passengers.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where Hercules is," Deathcry protested.

"My dear lady," Apollo said. "Thou doth know as much as I. Athena hath banished him, `Tis all I know."

"Well, I guarantee you I will not rest until I find him." With that statement she walked away.

"I do not know how but I will not be at all astonished when she does find him." Hank said.

"And what of thee, Henry McCoy? What is next for thee?"

"I have a virus to defeat. So research awaits."

"If I may suggest…" Apollo began as he placed his hand on Beast's head. "…look to your own bloodstream for the cure."

Hank looked at him questioningly.

"I do be a god of healing," he said.

Hank bounded away with joy as Apollo's chariot raced into the sky.

Next Issue: Dr Doom!

Footnotes: Even though Ares is an Avenger in the Marvel universe, he is not one in my alternate universe. It diverged away before he joined the team.

Hank McCoy was duped into evolving Hercules in issue #16 of this series.


	26. Date with the Devil

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #26** **Date with the Devil**

_Black Knight – Dane Whitman_

_Crystal_

_Wasp – Janet Van Dyne_

_Pulsar – Monica Rambeau_

_Vision_

_Bloodstrike – Eric Masterson_

"Avengers, you are denied permission to enter Latvian airspace. You are to turn your craft around and leave immediately."

In a Quinjet, above the Latvian border, Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, responded to the radio, "Dr. Doom, we don't need your approval. The League of Nations has given us authority to cross any border we need to. We have reason to believe the Crimson Cowl is hiding in Latvia."

"I no longer recognize that authority. I police Latvia myself. The Crimson Cowl is not here. Now leave! I have more pressing business. You shall not be allowed to enter."

"You yourself voted for the resolution, Doom."

"And we both know how that came about, don't we? Now stay out! I shall not tell you again."

The Black Knight turned to the rest of the Avengers as the radio went silent. He gestured to the line of Doombots blocking the path of the Quinjet.

"Well, we're not going to let Doom stop us. Pulsar?"

The golden Avenger changed herself into a beam of light. Flying through the windshield she then changed into pure energy. Drawing from extra-dimensional power she unleashed a full discharge at the first Doombot she came to.

However the force field of the robot held off the blast. It then lifted its hands and blasted her with its own energy. She recoiled but shrugged it off. Several of the Doombots attacked her and several more went after the Quinjet.

Noting that the force field was transparent, she changed back into light and slipped inside the field. Then changing back into energy she entered the Doombot herself, found the power source and overloaded it. The robot exploded as she flew away.

She repeated this again and again until all the Doombots were destroyed.

Unfortunately the Doombots had already crippled the Quinjet. Vision and the Black Knight were experienced pilots and, despite a brief struggle, managed to bring craft down to a safe landing just outside of Doomstadt, the capital city of Latveria.

A flock of birds was settling back down as the Avengers exited the wreck.

"Look at the birds," Crystal said in wonder. "They're forming a face."

As Pulsar landed beside them, the Avengers looked up at the swirling mass above them and they could indeed see a face constantly forming and reforming.

"I know that face," Wasp exclaimed. "That's Doctor Strange!"

"I thought the doctor had died," the Vision mentioned.

"Shhh," Dane said. "This obviously has something to do with being a wizard. But I think he's saying something."

Listening carefully, they could hear the voice of Doctor Strange in the wind.

"Avengers…," the voice whispered. "Must… stop… Doom…. Great danger…. Earth…trouble."

The flock then settled into a grove of trees as the wind faded.

For a moment they simply stared at one another in amazement. Jan was the first to find her voice.

"What do suppose that was all about?" she asked the others.

"I'm not sure," Dane answered. "But I think the Crimson Cowl is going to be the least of our worries."

While Pulsar and Wasp scouted ahead the team walked the short distance to the town. Castle Doom loomed above it the whole time. Eventually they came to the town square where another group of Doombots was waiting for them. The streets were mostly deserted.

"Avengers, halt," the lead automaton called out. "You have entered this country illegally and by the authority of Dr. Doom I place you under arrest."

"Relax, guys," Monica said. "I'll-"

"Pulsar, wait!" Dane stopped her. "See how they look a little blurry? They've adjusted their force fields to warp light. You wouldn't make it through there in one piece."

She landed among them as they set themselves for the coming battle. But no one noticed as Crystal was grabbed from behind, a cloth of chloroform held over her mouth.

Black Knight and Bloodstrike stepped forward to attack the Doombots. Their magical weapons cut through the Doombots and the force fields easily enough. The main problem they had was the shear number of opponents. Eventually they were both outnumbered and overpowered.

Vision turned intangible in order to pass through the force fields. However his plan backfired as the force field disrupted him. The first Doombot he faced left him lying unconscious in the street.

Wasp flew into the fray but her bio-blasts couldn't penetrate the shields either. However, she was small and fast enough that the Doombots couldn't hit her. She attempted to maneuver so they were blasting each other but their blasts also wouldn't penetrate their shields. Eventually it came down to a matter of time and eventually one of them hit her.

Warned by the Black Knight, Pulsar stayed clear of the Doombots, attempting to blast them from a distance up in the air. Since she was instrumental in the previous battle, Dr. Doom had prepared for her presence here. Several Doombots focused on her. They hit each her with a beam designed to disrupt her frequency. She tried to shift to different forms of energy but they kept up with her, shifting frequency as she did. Then she, too, crashed to the street, unconscious.

The Black Knight awoke in the courtyard of Castle Doom. He was chained to a post and his fellow Avengers were chained up near him. In the center of the courtyard, Dr. Doom and Baron Mordo were facing off in a wizards duel. Standing around were several other sorcerers and magicians, many of whom appeared to have recently lost their own battles.

"Didn't we have Baron Mordo in prison?" Wasp asked.

Dane turned to see the other Avengers waking up.

"I wonder if Doom freed him just so he could battle him here," he guessed.

Mordo cast a spell and green tentacles grew out of the ground to attack Doom. With a simple wave of his hand, Doom dispersed the tentacles.

Mordo cast another spell and fire formed around Doom. He waved his other hand and the flames fizzled out.

"You're quicker with the spells than I expected, Doom."

"Most of the world knows me for my technical expertise, not my magical talents. But if I apply my armor's computers, I get instant spells with perfect accuracy."

Dr. Doom gestured with both hands. Crimson bands instantly appeared around Mordo. He was dragged to his knees before Doom. He placed a hand atop Mordo's head and bent it back to look in his eyes.

"Do you submit?" he asked.

Defiance shown in his eyes for a moment but then faded. Then he nodded in resignation.

Dr. Doom threw him to the ground and addressed the assembled wizards.

"By right of victory in the combat trials that we have reestablished here, I now lay claim to the title, Sorcerer Supreme!"

Next Issue: Dr. Doom, Sorcerer Supreme!

Footnotes: Dr. Doom voted for the League of Nations resolution under odd circumstances in issue #21 of this series.

Dr. Strange died in issue #12 of this series. The Avengers captured Baton Mordo in the same issue.


	27. Deal with the Devil

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #27** **Deal with the Devil**

_Black Knight – Dane Whitman_

_Crystal_

_Wasp – Janet Van Dyne_

_Pulsar – Monica Rambeau_

_Vision_

_Bloodstrike – Eric Masterson_

Crystal awoke to find herself in a primitive basement with a large group of armed men. She was not restrained and quickly sprang into action. With a wave of her hand a whirlwind formed around her, blowing all the men back and clearing a space.

"Wait, wait, wait!" cried one of the men who seemed to be in charge.

The wind slammed him against a wall where the earth formed shackles around his arms and legs.

"Who are you and what am I doing here?" she asked him.

"We are Prince Vladimir, son of Prince Rudolfo, son of Vladimir, King of Latveria!"

"And what do you want with me?"

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend," he pointed out.

"Do you always kidnap your friends?"

"Only when circumstances dictate. We could hardly introduce ourselves in the middle of a battle."

"Seems to me that a battle would offer the perfect opportunity to prove your friendship."

"A very good point. But when you are used to fighting Dr. Doom, you learn to try to avoid such confrontations."

Crystal thought for a moment and then released him from his restraints.

"In respect of our hopeful alliance, we shall not require any obeisance to our royalty," he said, rubbing his wrists.

"I am a princess of Attilan," she pointed out. "I, too, will not require any genuflection."

"It is the visiting royalty that traditionally bows to the monarch of a foreign country."

"Yet, I do not believe you are the monarch of this country."

Vladimir nodded, conceding the point.

"I think I am ready to hear the particulars of this proposed alliance," Crystal probed.

"You offer power, we can offer knowledge, knowledge of Latveria and knowledge of Dr. Doom."

"I can't really make any kind of bargain on behalf of the Avengers, without knowing the current situation."

"At this moment, the rest of your team is being held captive in the courtyard in Castle Doom."

"Then here's the bargain I'll offer: you get me into that courtyard and I'll let you pick up the pieces after us."

"So, Dr. Doom, you fought so hard to get the title of Sorcerer Supreme," Baron Mordo began. "Now that the title's yours, what do you plan to do with it?"

Baron Mordo, being the last to fall in Doom's challenge to be Sorcerer Supreme, was the last of the magicians in the challenge to stay around afterwards. The Avengers were there, bound to posts with power suppressing chains.

"Yeah, what's the plan now, Doom?" the Black Knight asked. Dane Whitman was the chairman of the Avengers. His hair was quite short, after having been recently burnt off and was now growing back as black rather than his original brown. His eyes blazed with the Eternal energy he possessed after acquiring Sersi's powers. His Ebony Blade, cursed since he used it to decapitate the Egyptian Serpent God of Death, Seth, lay just a few feet away, tantalizingly close.

Nearby, Bloodstrike was chained to another post. Originally known as Thunderstrike after the Asgardian mace he wields, he changed his name after falling under the curse of the Bloodaxe, once wielded by Skurge the Executioner. Both of his weapons lay near him also. He growled and struggled against his chains.

Pulsar, Vision, and Wasp were chained up nearby, also.

"This is merely a stepping stone," Dr. Doom said as he stepped up to a podium that arose from the ground at his signal. "Someone has something that doesn't belong to them and it has long been my goal to rectify that situation."

Doom raised his arms and an enormous pentacle, carefully laser-carved into the ground before hand, lit up before him.

Using the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme, he began a casting a spell preprogrammed into his armor. As a result his gestures were flawless and vocal incantations precise. As he proceeded the pentacle grew brighter and brighter with an infernal light. Eventually there was a loud popping noise and the light was replaced with a column of black smoke. The smoke rolled away with a strong smell of brimstone to reveal a figure within the pentacle.

"Doom," Mephisto said. "I believe the appropriate quote here would be: 'Only you could be so bold… and so stupid.'"

"Mephisto!" Doom yelled. "You possess the soul of Cynthia von Doom. I demand her immediate release."

"My, such demands. You seem to have developed a very high opinion of yourself."

"Do not try to bait me, demon. Her release, for your release. Those are my terms."

"I don't think you understand this whole bargaining thing."

"I understand that I have you imprisoned."

"For the moment."

"Did you want to wait to see what happens? I can wait as long as you like. I've got force fields covering the castle. Nothing will disturb us."

Mephisto thought for a moment. Then, after a few complicated gestures, he held out his hand. A small figure of a gypsy girl appeared there.

"If I understand you correctly, all I have to do is exchange this for my freedom. Is that the deal you wish to make?"

"Do not attempt to fool me. I can recognize an illusion when I see one."

Mephisto smiled as he withdrew his hand and the image disappeared.

"I have nothing else to offer you. Do you really think I held on to her soul? You have possessed the power of the Beyonder. Would anyone hold on to something that would make you come after them?"

"Where is she, then? Where is her soul now?"

"Doom," the Black Knight called out. "Can't you see he's lying to you? Come on, he's Mephisto. What else would he do."

Dr. Doom ignored the outburst but Baron Mordo deigned to respond.

"The spell that binds Mephisto to the pentacle compels him to answer and prevents him from lying. Haven't you noticed how he mostly asks questions and avoids making statements?"

Dane thought back on the conversation but withheld any insights this new information brought him.

"Tell me," Doom asked. "If she is not in your realm, where is she?"

"I cannot answer that question." Mephisto answered.

"Who did you trade her soul to?"

"I cannot answer that question, either."

"Why can you not answer my questions?"

"You don't know? I see the cursed one has figured it out."

Dane saw this was a reference to him. But Doom ignored the distraction and concentrated on the demon.

"I want to know."

Mephisto remained silent.

"I command you to tell me."

"Not questions," Mordo pointed out.

Dr. Doom glanced at him in annoyance for being correct.

"If I had your knowledge, would I know where my mother's soul is?" Doom asked.

"If you had my knowledge," Mephisto replied. "You would run screaming into the night."

"Do you even know where she is?" Doom challenged.

"Yes," he replied too quickly, unable to ignore the challenge.

"I think I see the problem here," Doom mused aloud. "You do know where she is. I bet you could still return her to me. The deal is the same as originally stated. Return my mother's soul to me and you shall be freed."

"Let us discuss these terms in more depth," Mephisto bargained. "What do you mean by 'returned'? And what do you mean by 'freed'?"

"You seek loopholes," Doom answered. "When I feel you have fulfilled your part of the bargain, I shall release you. I see no need to elaborate."

Mephisto thought about this latest offer when there was deep rumbling sound in the ground. Suddenly a fissure opened and Crystal came out followed by Prince Vladimir and his men.

Doom remained behind his podium but summoned a group of Doombots to fight for him. A shootout erupted between the Doombots and Vladimir's men.

Crystal couldn't do anything about the chains holding the Avengers but she could attack the posts they were chained to. The post the Black Knight was bound to started to warp until it broke in half. Dane was able to leap over the manacles binding his wrists so that they were in front of him. He picked up his sword and cut the chains from him. Meanwhile Crystal began to free the others.

Baron Mordo decided to intervene.

"I don't think I should allow this to happen," he said as he began to cast a spell.

Prince Vladimir, however, was still willing to help his new allies. He rushed forward attempting to tackle the Baron. The Baron didn't go down but his spell was ruined.

"Get away from me, you fool," he said as he pushed Prince Vladimir away.

The prince tripped as he fell backwards, landing on the pentacle.

Instantly Mephisto changed into his monstrous bloated bestial form. He stepped on Vladimir so that the remains of his body obscured the pentacle.

"Now," the demon said, focusing on Dr. Doom. "Let us try these negotiations again."

Next Issue: Dr. Doom vs the Avengers vs Mephisto!

Footnotes: Crystal was kidnapped in issue #26.

Dr. Doom became Sorcerer Supreme at the end of issue #26.

Dane Whitman's hair was burnt off in issue #20. He decapitated Seth in issue #4.

Bloodstrike fell under the curse of the Bloodaxe in issue #1.


	28. Dance with the Devil

**A  
lternate Avengers** **Issue #28** **Dance with the Devil**

_Black Knight – Dane Whitman_

_Crystal_

_Wasp – Janet Van Dyne_

_Pulsar – Monica Rambeau_

_Vision_

_Bloodstrike – Eric Masterson_

In the courtyard of Castle Doom, Mephisto, in his monstrous form, knelt down to threaten Dr. Doom. Under his foot, his grisly remains spoiling the effectiveness of the pentacle that had held the demon, was the body of Prince Vladimir, the latest claimant to the throne of Latveria.

The Avengers were freeing themselves from the chains Doom had used to imprison them. Prince Vladimir's men were starting a shootout with a group of Doombots.

Baron Mordo had just pushed Prince Vladimir onto the pentacle. Seeing the result of this, he thought to exercise the better part of valor and, with a quick spell, teleported away.

Dr. Doom, Earth's newest Sorcerer Supreme, stood calmly at the podium where he had first summoned Mephisto.

"Any more offers to make?" Mephisto asked, as he attempted to grab Doom.

But he found he couldn't close his hand on the Latverian monarch. It felt like there was a cylindrical tube around the dictator. As he tried to seize him, he could seeing writing on the ground around Doom light up.

"You have a second pentacle protecting you. Doesn't say much for your confidence, does it?"

"I prefer to think it speaks volumes for my level of preparedness."

As Prince Vladimir's men had already either been slaughtered or had fled after loosing their leader, the Doombots turned to attack Mephisto.

"Well, fearless leader," the Wasp asked the Black Knight. "Do we fight Doom or do we fight Mephisto?"

"Take Mephisto," he replied. "He's easily the more urgent threat. I'll deal with Doom."

Mephisto ignored the attacks of the Doombots and most of the Avengers but he screamed when he felt the Bloodaxe bit into his leg. Reflexively he kicked out and Bloodstrike crashed against one of the castle walls.

"Doom!" the Black Knight called out. "You've got to send Mephisto back to where he came from!"

"Not until I wrest the soul of my mother back from him!"

"It astounds me that you can take over this country and actually do a good job of running it and yet you still have mommy issues. Can't you see he'll destroy us all?"

"You mean, he'll destroy you. I have protection against him."

"But you don't have protection from me," he pointed out, cutting down the podium with the Ebony Blade for effect. He then dropped the blade so the point was just above the ground. "And I could easily destroy your protection."

Reacting to the threat, Dr. Doom raised his gauntlets and blasted Dane Whitman full force in the chest.

Meanwhile the Vision was trying desperately to affect Mephisto.

Pulsar flew up beside him.

"Nothing we do seems to work," she said.

"Bloodstrike was the only one who could hurt him," Vision pointed out. "Can you get him back in the fight? I have something I want to try."

"Sure thing," she said as she sped off.

Vision floated up to the demons face. His solar blasts hadn't had any effect yet but now he tried them right in the eyes.

Mephisto was at least bothered by this. He swatted at the Vision. Even though he had lowered his density so that he was intangible, Mephisto's magical nature was such that he knocked the Vision down to land at Doom's feet.

"Get away!" Doom screamed at him. He kicked at him but he did go right through the intangible body. "Don't you know what you're doing?"

It may not have occurred to the Vision but Mephisto saw that he was lying across the pentacle rendering it ineffective. He reached down and snatched up the super villain.

"Vision," the Black Knight called out, having recovered from Doom's blast. "Stay there until I give you a signal. I've got a plan."

Pulsar had flown over to where Bloodstrike lay in the rubble of the castle wall.

"Wake up, big guy," she said pulling on him. "You're the only one that Mephitso has even felt. You've got to get back into the fight."

He growled at her and threw himself back into the fray. He threw the Thunderstrike mace with its chain attached so that it wrapped around Mephisto's leg a few times. Thus secured, he began to hack away with the axe.

Mephisto was just gloating to Doom about the punishments and tortures he would inflict on him when he felt this new pain. He tried to dislodge Bloodaxe but he held on.

Then the Black Knight flew up and struck at Mephisto with the Ebony Blade. Mephisto screamed in pain at this also and recoiled from the blow.

"Now Vision," Dane called out.

The Vision, still intangible, sunk into the ground restoring the effectiveness of the pentacle. But this time Mephisto was above it and reacted as though he were impaled upon this cylindrical shape above the pentacle that he couldn't cross.

Next Issue: Magneto starts the Mutant X-odus!

Footnotes:


End file.
